A Chance To Change It All
by The Fallen Dark Angel
Summary: Tifa has a chance to change it all, should she do it or should she stick with what she has now? a CloudXTifa behind all the drama and a bit of ZackXAerith too
1. Sleep To Start, Wake To End

**A Chance To Change It All**

**Ok, I've only played Dirge Of Cerberus once when I borrowed it from a friend and didn't get much of a feel for some of the story so when I talk about Shaula and Shelke it's only what I know from now and what I've read on the Internet so... Ok. I got the idea in a dream. It was a cool dream do I started writing it out. Only short, most likely 6-7 chapters.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**Chapter 1- Sleep To Start, Wake To End**

Tifa POV.

Almost a year had passed since the whole thing with Deepground. Shelke was temporarily staying with us along with Vincent who had promised to be like a big brother to the younger girl. They both had something in common, they both looked younger than they were. Vincent had made a promise to be an older sibling, just what Shaula couldn't be. She only had a little time with Shelke when she found her. When Yuffie told me I felt sympathetic for the scientist I never knew. Shelke was apparently just like her sister which didn't make it easier for Vincent who still felt guilty about her death.

Shelke was only here while Vincent was assisting Yuffie with something in Wutai. I think it had something to do with her ageing father, the emperor of Wutai. Shelke had settled well and often looked after Denzel and Marlene though they didn't take her seriously at bedtime seeing as her body was the same age as theirs. I'd taken her shopping again yesterday. She now had a full wardrobe Vincent wouldn't appreciate my buying due to the fact they would have to lug it around to wherever they may stop.

I suddenly looked up to the bar noticing no customers were there to serve and letting my eyes cloud over again as I recalled more of my past. Reminiscing was normally something I did when working a busy shift at the bar; it calmed me when it was peaceful enough to become dazed. So I often had Cloud work with me so someone woke me up when the rush came. He only took orders normally, though. But these days it was enough just to be near Cloud. Just before Deepground attacked Cloud had taken the kids to Elmrya and then taken me up to the now- deserted town of Nibelheim where he told me everything. About how he felt, how he thought. He even told me he loved me. I smiled at the memory of the all too quiet town.

Since Rufus didn't want actors or the Half dead townsfolk who had become science experiments to be seen by anyone who found the small uninhabited town they had cleaned out the whole town deserting it so only ghosts of the past lingered there. Rufus didn't want his father's mistakes to remain any longer, Instead a big board had been placed at the entrance to the town's main square telling people what happened in Nibelheim.

About a month after Deepground Cloud had proposed. We had gotten married in the summer, a year ago next week. It had been in her church. Cid had been the best man and Denzel had been the ring barer. Marlene had been the flower girl while Barrett gave me away and Yuffie played maid of honour.

After the wedding I'd caught Cloud with a flown on his face. All it tips was a simple 'Whats wrong?' to have him almost in tears telling me how it should've been Zack's wedding first and Aerith would've looked beautiful as me who would be the maid of honour. He'd painted a picture in my mind as he had his and all I could do was hold onto him while I comforted him that they were safe and fine in the Lifestream. Happily together. I'm sure that I even glanced up to see pink in the rafters that day...

"Hey lady! Drink!" a gruff voice called shattering my calm. I looked up to the man quickly pouring the desired drink into his once empty cup. My eyes followed the guy as he stumbled away to a table of men all laughing too loudly. I shook my head Turing to look at Cloud who seemed to be flicking his eyes around the bar almost as if to check for any danger before it comes.

I looked around the room slowly too. It was a full house tonight. The room was low lit casting shadows in places unexpectedly while light music played in the background out of the radio I always had on at the bar. The wooden tables and chairs each filled with men and women all slightly tipsy and enjoying themselves in the low lit tavern. The floors often protested as the patrons walked up to get another beer from my work-insistent husband.

It was a Saturday, the busiest day of the week. Of course Cloud wanted to help today of all days. He was standing behind the bar as normal but today he was serving those who wanted the easy stuff like beer and drinks he'd heard of and knew how to make. Anything out of his depth and Cloud would send me a pleading look to ask me for help even if I was busy and felt his glance I would help, I enjoyed seeing him happy to learn and work. Every time Cloud looked at me I smiled happily watching as his lips mirrored my expression with his own version of a smile.

^.^.^.^.^.^

Business had slowed down now compared to the peak of the night when it seemed like even two bartenders weren't enough. Cloud had found it hard to believe that there could be so many customers on one night. I'd joked that this was a quiet Saturday and watched as Cloud's face visibly paled. It was around one in the morning now, the bar closed at two on Saturday and was closed on Sunday, my day off.

"Cloud, pass me that bottle please." I said as I made my way around to the other side of the counter to help Cloud. He nodded at me before he turned and reached up to get the desired blue tinted liquor bottle.

"Here." He said handing me the bottle I had been pointing to quickly smiling at me before he returned to the call of an annoying patron who didn't want to wait for his turn to pay for the round of drinks for his drunken table of men insistent on watching a table of women across from them. He was one on the regulars. He was always impatient to pay for his round of drinks.

I looked across the bar to the digital clock that sat on the opposite wall from the bar. It was there so I could tell how long until closing without having to turn around. Lazy, I know. The clock had the date on too. The sight of the date made me frown. It was past midnight so it meant that today – the day it would be when it next gets light- was the anniversary of the day Zack died. I sighed at the thought, normally Cloud and I would go up to where Cloud had placed Zack's sword in memorial but the forecast was heavy rain and Fenrir was having problems starting which Cloud was spending hours trying to figure out.

I wonder what we could do instead. Maybe something that involved the children would be nice so they knew about Zack and what he did to save Cloud. I smiled at the thought.

"Hey, Cloud?" I asked after I served another drink to a lone man who seemed to be talking to another woman at the bar about his problems. I could tell she wasn't listening. I hear a soft noise from Cloud in reply telling me to say what I was going to say. I looked at Cloud then to the clock. His eyes followed mine but saddened at the date on the clock.

"And the forecast said..." Cloud muttered looking down to the glass in his hand. I looked at Cloud sympathetically before placing a hand on his shoulder and making him turn to look at me.

"Maybe they got today's forecast wrong." I told him softly hoping to cheer Cloud up. I saw a small glimmer of hope in Cloud's eyes at my words but the weather seemed to disagree with the statement I had made. Almost as soon as I closed my mouth a clap of thunder was heard and a strike of lightning illuminated the bar. Cloud's hopeful face dropped into the frown it was before.

"Or maybe they got it spot on..." he mumbled unhappily staring out the window. I watched Cloud's eyes cloud over. It had been raining the day Zack had died. I remembered Cloud telling me how he crawled out to Zack while he lay dying. The rain washed the blood off his cheeks but Zack was leaking blood like the tap you forgot to turn off. Not even a phoenix down could save him even if Cloud would've had one handy.

"Don't worry; we can remember him a different way." I told Cloud quietly as he let out a soft sigh as his reply and went back to work.

"But it won't feel right, it won't feel like where honouring him here." was the last thing I heard Cloud mutter before turning to fix a drink for the woman being talked to death by a drunk.

I tried to think of something we could do to remember Zack while staying in the bar and apartment. I couldn't think of anything, the only thing I could think of was driving out to Aerith's church and laying a joint bouquet of flowers there for the both of them. I knew Cloud would like that but most likely think it wasn't enough like he did with almost everything he did.

When the bar closed Cloud and I did our nightly routine. We walked upstairs and asked Shelke if she had her daily Mako. When she replied yes we set up her bed on the couch- if she hasn't already- and leave the room. We check on the two sleeping children in their room before going to ours where we then spend the rest of the night.

Tonight I felt really tired, I remember being pulled into a deep sleep before Cloud even came back into the room from going to the bathroom for his nightly routine. All I remember was his surprised face as I fell asleep.

^.^.^.^.^.^

"...Tifa?"

_Huh?_

"Tifa!"

I opened my eyes to see myself in a place that was all white, no other colour could be seen anywhere. Just this endless abyss of white, so bright it hurt your eyes to look. I stood up slowly seeing some specks of colour in the distance. What were they? I thought as I hesitantly walked toward them. I ended up in a field of flowers. I didn't know where I was, I wish I did.

"Tifa!" a masculine voice called for the third time. This time I saw him, his black spikes stood up but moved backwards as if he had been going at super speed to try and flatten them. His blue eyes swam with happiness at the sight of someone new in his space, obviously he hadn't seen anyone who was still alive for a long time.

The boy with the black spikes was waving madly at me his arms were over his head making a giant circle in the air as he swung them back and forth.

Next to him was another man, he had longer black hair that seemed to be straightened down his back while his chin was full of stubble waiting for a shave. He was taller and obviously older than Zack as could be told by the wrinkles around his eyes. His green eyes seemed serious and his stance showed he meant business. I looked at the man and then to Zack I wondered if they had been friends in Zack's life. I wonder if he knew Cloud. My eyes suddenly gravitated to the wing on his back, I tried not to look at it too much... No, _look_ wasn't the right word I tried not to _stare_ at the wing too much, I wondered if he hated getting attention because of it.

"Zack!" I called back to the man with spiky black hair. He smiled as he saw me nudging his companion who seemed to loosen up at Zack's childish nature. I ran to the two mirroring the easy smile the man beside Zack gave us. His smile was more tranquil than the one Zack was smiling.

"Teef, this is Angeal Hewley. He was my mentor when I was in SOLDIER." Zack told me using my old nickname which made me smile even more. I nodded a greeting to the man before me who smiled at me and nodded back.

"Angeal this is Tifa Lockhart, Cloud's girl." Zack told his friend. Angeal looked at me with a small smirk while he scratched his stubbly chin.

"Cloud? Your little cadet friend?" Angeal asked in a smooth deep voice. His voice reminded me a bit of Sephiroth not to mention the long white wing that extended from his right side. I reminded myself that Sephiroth's wing was black, a more sinister colour than Angeal's angel wing.

"Yeah! That Cloud!" Zack told his mentor excitedly. I looked to the two of them and smiled. I was glad Zack was happy in this life, I could tell Cloud all about it.

"So, anyway Tifa, you get that this isn't a social meeting, right? Otherwise your mother, father, Aerith and Cloud and his parents could be here too. No, me and 'geal came on important dead-people business." he told me in a firm voice. I knew this was his SOLDIER voice, the one he used to get authority for himself.

"Go ahead with your important dead-people business then Zack." I told him with a smile. Watching as he automatically relaxed at the presence of his all too calm mentor before straightening up like he was in the military giving orders or a briefing. Zack's movements reminded me of a puppy that was trying to please his master. Always bouncing around and always happy. Angeal beat Zack to telling me what was going on, his voice seemed smooth and rough at the same time as he explained to me why he was here with his puppy.

"Tifa Lockhart, Zack and I are here to tell you that you have been chosen due to your strong heart and persuasive nature to go back to four events in your past and change them. You may keep people alive or kill anyone you wish. During this time you will be asleep for a day each event -which will each last a day- You will wake up on the fifth day into the world you created. You will tell whoever comes to talk to you whether you want that to be reality or if you want to go back to your reality. If you choose to go back, you will wake up on the sixth day." the solemn tone in Angeal's voice kept me from smiling widely to myself.

A chance to change everything, I knew what would happen in the future, I could stop Zack's death maybe even Aerith's death. I could stop Cloud forgetting who he was and having to be experimented on, I could save the whole of Nibelheim. All the things I could do... And I had to choose 4 days that could help me do this.

"Do I choose my four days now?" I asked him with a smile I looked up and noticed Zack watching me intently. I smiled at him and turned to also smile at Angeal. Both men stayed business-like as ever and just nodded back with blank faces.

"Yes, you can change anything in your lifetime." Angeal told me placing both his hands behind his back in an 'at ease' position.

"Or you could just relive it through another's eyes. Well, your eyes looking in third person at yourself." Zack butted in quickly. Typical Zack, childish even when business-like.

"But remember you will be part of the action. It's just, nobody will know who you are." Zack added, sending a nod in Angeal's direction as if to say he was sure he'd told me everything.

"But won't I look like myself?" I asked looking at Zack curiously he looked back down in confusion.

"Huh. Guess you would. Oh well. Pick your moments." Zack told me with a shrug. I looked to Angeal who just did the same as Zack. Shrugged at me with his eyes closed. I sighed at the two before holding out my hand and counting off on each finger the days I was choosing.

"I pick five: the moment Cloud first came out to play when he was four, the day my mother died, the day you came to Nibelheim with Cloud and Sephiroth, the day you died, I'll get to you and save you. And lastly, the day before the plate fell." I finished looking up at Zack.

Zack and Angeal looked at each other with uncertain looks before turning back to me.

"You only have 4 days." Angeal stated crossing his arms and doing a little step step movement from side to side as he did.

"The first day I'll split into two. 12 hours each." I told them looking around once again at the place I was in. In the far distance I could see something that looked like a wall of water. If there was water in the Lifestream is that how Aerith contacted us with the Great Gospel to cure the children -and Cloud- in Edge? Or was it not water at all but so kind of water-like void in the world where everything was still.

Zack's voice sliced through my thoughts of water in the Lifestream.

"Is she allowed to do that?" Zack asked sounding like his old puppy self.

"No idea." Angeal answered in a 'why are you asking me?' tone of voice shrugging at Zack before turning back to me for a second waiting for Zack's reply.

"Shall we let her?"

"Why not?"

"Ok! Moments accepted!" Zack shouted almost as if the whole of the Lifestream had been listening in on our conversation. I smiled as both men seemed to drop the business-like stance almost immediately – Zack more than Angeal – and walked closer to me. Zack hugged me once again letting out a small chuckle as Angeal pulled him away.

"Okay, okay, Angeal. I get it." Zack laughed turning around to hug him mentor who pushed Zack off onto the floor quickly.

"Zack will be your time keeper throughout the journey. Don't worry, I gave him a watch to make sure he's on time." Angeal told me with a small protest from Zack. Angeal moved closer to me and whispered in my ear "You won't be able to save me but try to save Zack. He didn't deserve to die." He told me before straightening up and nodding to Zack who was standing next to him.

"Take her to the first location." He said monotonously waiting for Zack to make a move.

**So the deal with the chapters. I started each one and just keep adding to them on my iPhone when I feel like it. I'll try to get the next chapter up within the next two weeks.**


	2. The Time We First Played Out

The Time We First Played Out

I felt a sudden rush as Zack snapped his fingers. Angeal disappeared with a parting nod before the scene around me changed. I saw the mountainous background to the town.

The small town I was now in the middle of was exactly that, a very small town with only around ten houses and families living in each. The Inn was on one side of the town with the store and three of the houses while the rest of the houses were on the other side of town. In the north the Shinra mansion was visible although it didn't look very old right now. I could almost see the graveyard just over from the mansion. Just before the mountain trail to the reactor began. The town was parted into its two sides by the water tower situated in the middle of town. I remember when everyone used to climb on the water tower. It was a known date spot.

I could tell from the angle of the sun that it was around seven in the morning that gave me until seven at night to be here. I looked around at the would-be Nibelheim. Even though I knew where I was I felt it only polite to ask.

"Where am I?" I asked not needing an answer to know I was in an earlier version of Nibelheim. Zack must be very good at his dead-guy job. I was here where I needed to be. I wonder is Vincent is in Shinra mansion in that coffin still. I remember my mother telling me the mansion had been abandoned shortly after I was born.

"Neibelheim, just like you said." Zack answered pulling me out of my musings about Vincent. Even if he was there I couldn't go see him. I smiled at the thought of a younger Vincent, it was hard to imagine.

I watched as a young couple crossed town in front of us walking towards the water tower. The girl was a brunette like me but her hair was longer than my hair now, it flowed more in the cold mountain air. The boy attached to her hand had back hair and green eyes. He was almost the complete opposite to the brunette in size and personality. I remembered them both.

"That's Tasca and Josh." I told Zack in disbelief. The way I said it added a silent 'Is that possible?' to my statement.

"Yeah?" Zack replied in a bored tone as we both watched to couple skip towards the water tower. His reply added a silent 'Your point?' back to me making me sigh. Before deciding on explaining everything to Zack.

"They left when I was four." I clarified for Zack watching the two disappear behind the large wooden structure most likely so they could climb up the one side.

"You wanted to come back to when you were three right? When Cloud was four and you were both just being let out of your houses to play out?" Zack pointed out. I wondered where he was going with his little speech.

"Yeah..." I replied hesitantly waiting for his reply without taking my eyes off the water tower hoping to see Tasca and Josh climbing at the top like Cloud and I did once. At Zack's silence I looked over to him seeing that he was staring at something -or someone- with a slight smirk on his face.

"Well here comes mini Cloud and mini you now." he told me crouching low as if his new position would make him more able to see the children as they walked along.

"Huh?" I asked stooping to his level for a second. Long enough to see a child with spiky blonde hair and a girl with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail to keep her hair off her face. I smiled as I saw my younger self and Cloud's younger self. I had once again forgotten how cute he was when he was so young.

"Well, see you in twelve hours!" Zack said before I could protest "You did want to split this day, right?" he added before putting his hands doing a shrugging movement with his arms while he jogged back into a white light that had formed. It didn't seem to be bothering anyone.

"Yes but-" I tried to get Zack to listen before he disappeared but the task seemed impossible.

"See ya!" Zack called over his shoulder before he was gone for the next twelve hours.

"Zack!" I hissed into the air where the light used to be. I swear I heard his soft chuckle as I started looking around for him in the town and in the sky.

"I swear if you're just going to leave me on my own I'll leave you dead." I added in another hiss making the soft chuckle turn into a louder one.

"Who are you talking to?" a small higher pitched voice asked. I looked down to see little Cloud standing there with a stuffed Moogle plushie caught between the crook of his elbow.

"Nobody, Cloud." I told the little boy on reflex before realising my mistake and whipping my head back to the small boy.

Four year old Cloud was tiny. He was only about to my knee with his golden blonde hair sticking out like a Chocobo's feathers. His cheeks had a slight red rosy hue and his blue eyes were huge and wide as he stared up at me in alarm. His eyes were a perfect ocean blue without the pain, depression, hurt or the Mako I was used to seeing in Cloud's eyes. His mouth was slightly open as he cuddled his teddy Moogle that was almost the same size as him so its limp feet were covered in dust from being dragged.

"How do you know my name?" the little boy asked in a voice much higher than Cloud's but still recognisable.

"Because... I..." I was stuck for ideas for a minute. I began wracking my brain for something to say just as I saw little Tifa talking to little Johnny and little Sammy. Both boys were wearing clothes beyond their age; jeans and baseball caps.

"I heard that girl over there saying your name!" I said quickly glad I came up with something.

"Oh. That's Tifa. I like her but she won't talk to me because Johnny says I have an icky disease." I remember when Jonny told me that, I used to avoid Cloud like the plague just because of that, even though we lived next to each other.

"Don't listen to Johnny. Shall I go and talk to her see if I can convince her to play with you instead?"

"I don't want to cause trouble..." Cloud told me but his eyes were now wide and vibrant I was glad to see the pure innocent happiness on the boy's face.

"I'd do anything just to make you smile, Cloud." I told the boy sincerely. He just stared at me for a little longer so I crouched to his level.

"Why?" The boy asked looking up at me with is giant eyes while he squeezed his doll in his arms. I smiled down at the small boy thinking of one I had once pictured in my head. I always imagined a child with blonde unruly hair and brown eyes who was taller than your average four year old but perfectly beautiful all the same.

"I'll tell both you and Tifa in a minute. It's something you both need to know."

"Why?" he asked in his small innocent voice.

"Because what I'm doing will affect both your futures. Hopefully for the better." I told him looking over to little Tifa as she looked over from where Johnny was feeding her lies.

"Excuse me." I said walking over to the small group with Cloud almost attached and hiding behind my legs.

"What?" Johnny asked almost violently. The kid had no respect for his elders.

"I need to borrow Tifa for an hour or two..." I told them looking down at the little girl who just stared back at me.

"Take her we don't care." another boy said in a sinister voice. I looked into his eyes realising that this was a younger version if Jamie.

"But isn't she your friend?" I asked looking at the boys.

"No! She just stalks us! We hate her!" another boy shouted. His name I didn't remember. I didn't realise they had ever felt that way, sometimes it felt like it was the other way around and that they stalked me... but then they would leave me all the time, like when my mother died.

I watched one of the boys spit on the floor before the whole group laughed and started to walk away. I remember them doing that to Cloud once claiming that one of the boy's older brothers did it to show his disgust in others.

"Come with me, Tifa." I told the little girl before looking down to see a sad frown on her face while her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her friends sudden rejection.

"It's okay Tifa." Cloud told the girl as he came out from behind my legs. He held out a hand for the small girl to take. Tifa looked at the hand for a small while before whipping the tears off her face that had fell at the sadness of rejection.

"He doesn't have a disease." I whispered to the younger version of myself. She slowly and hesitantly took Cloud's hand only satisfied he was germ free after a few minutes of holding his hand. She seemed to relax a little when I walked to two out of town into a field that Cloud and I came to before he left for SOLDIER.

^.^.^.^.^.^

I had been in this Nibelhiem for around three of my twelve hours. Most of the three hours had been spent out on the grass outside of town. Cloud and Tifa had been chatting while I had stared to the sky. It was around one in the afternoon now.

"I'm sorry that I ignored you like this when we were younger, Cloud." I said up towards the sky hoping that my Cloud was safe and out on deliveries not looking at my sleeping body while I was here and thinking I was in a coma or worse...

"Why are you talking to the clouds?" Tifa asked me sitting on a blanket I'd set out on the soft springy summer grass. Her hand was still firmly wrapped around Cloud's like he was her life tether.

"I pray for my lost friends. They can hear me, I hope." I told her looking back to the two. It wasn't a lie to tell them I prayed for lost friends, I prayed for Zack and Aerith too, nothing was the same as the time they were alive.

"Why?" Cloud asked cocking his head to one side making all his spikes move too, even though they had already been bobbing in the wind.

"Because those in the Lifestream have the power to chance past, future and present." I told the boy looking at both children to get my point across.

"Are YOU from the Lifestream?" Tifa asked with big brown eyes. I let out a small giggle at the thought.

"How about you two stop asking questions and I'll tell you about who I am?" I said with a smirk.

That shut the two children up immediately. Both adopting the 'perfectly innocent children' position everyone learned as a kid; legs crossed, head up arms crossed and a look that said 'I'm ready'

"Okay, my name is Tifa -but call me Tia around others- and I'm from the future." I paused watching both children as they leaned forward a little to check they had heard right before I saw their eyes grow wide at my admission before I continued by turning to Tifa first. "I'm actually an older version of you, Tifa and I've come back to change the lives of you and Cloud. Hopefully for the better." I moved to sit cross legged waiting for the children to react.

"So in the future I cut my hair and wear really revealing clothes and a pink ribbon on my arm?" the little brunette asked while stroking her already long hair in awe of me.

"Yes." I told her looking at the ribbon on my arm briefly and thinking of her description of me. My clothes weren't THAT bad... Well not anymore.

"What do I look like!" Cloud asked jumping up and sitting on my one knee. I giggled before pulling out my cell phone and flipping to the pictures. I found a picture almost immediately; it was the one of Cloud when we went on vacation to Costa Del Sol without the kids. It was straight after Deepground and transport was cheap and roads clear. I snapped him walking up out of the sea on a hot day. Water beaded on his chest and droplets were being shaken out of his hair as he walked my way. The sun behind Cloud reflected perfectly creating an orange background across the sparkling waves. His face reflected the sun too making the blue of his eyes brighter and the Mako ring more visible. It also made his hair a lighter tone as he ran towards me.

"This is you." I told Cloud turning the device to his eye level.

"Wow Cloud you look like the men on my mommy's hunk calendar!" Tifa exclaimed hugging the now shocked boy. I laughed at the thought of what Tifa had just described. "Anyway you two! I have eight hours to prove to the two of you that you need to stick together." I said with a smile looking at the time.

"We need to stick together?" Tifa asked looking up with my big brown eyes.

"Yes, Johnny doesn't like you Tifa, he just proved that by handing you over so willingly to me." I told the girl not wanting to go onto detail about what she was like and what Cloud had been like in my world.

"Okay." Tifa told me with a big beaming smile. I had to smile back if only for how cute of a child I was.

"Also... in the future a lot of bad things happen and I need you two to stay close throughout it all because, well, you're going to need each other more than you know." I told the two with a sigh. Both looked up at me as I started to see my past in flashes. The fire, Sephiroth, Aerith, Meteor, my failed execution for apparently summoning Meteor...

"Well, any questions?" I felt myself asking looking down at the two. Cloud still on my leg and Tifa sitting directly in front of me holding my hand.

"Well I wanna know about what I'm gonna be when I get older!" Cloud shouted making himself known as if his weight on my knee wasn't enough – he was very light, but not light enough to make me forget he was there.

"Well I can't tell you too much because it would spoil everything but..."

^.^.^.^.^.^

That was how the rest of the afternoon went. we spent around another six hours there in that field talking about the future and funny stories about what trouble Cloud would get into and all the friends Tifa would make when I noticed that both the children had gotten a bit tired. I looked up into the sky, it was around five now, time I got them back to their mothers.

"Come on you two, it's time we got you home." I told them ruffling both their hairs as we got up from our places lying between the grass and flowers while Chocobos pranced around not too far away.

"Does this mean you have to leave?" Cloud asked in a whisper as he took my hand to help me stand.

"I'm afraid it does Cloud, but don't worry you'll see me again." I told him placing a small kiss on his forehead as I stood.

"EWWW! Koodies!" he shouted whipping his cheek while Tifa giggled non-stop almost falling back onto the ground laughing.

"Ok, ok that's enough" I said with my own laugh at Cloud's actions. He was still wearing a sour look and rubbing his cheek until it turned bright red. I took Tifa's hand and took Cloud's hand too –the one not whipping the imaginary disease off his face- and began walking them down the path to their homes.

"God I can't believe I used to stand being here." I told them as we walked kicking up dust as I went. "Its blistering hot in the summers yet cold enough for mountains of snow in the winter." I sighed and looked over to the two. It was colder now as the air was chilling for the night.

"You get used to it." Tifa told me with a small giggle that I was complaining.

We soon arrived in the village and I watched as both the children ran to their houses and their waiting parents.

Well, now I had two hours to kill and not a lot to do, so I decided just to sit on the water tower for a little while picking up all the trash and moving it to allow me to sit down on the still perfect wood of the structure. I had a god view of the town from up here. I could see lights flickering in the mansion and almost hear the manic laughter of Hojo as he experimented of something sinister in his lab. I could see over to the bridge that would snap with me on it and I could almost see the tips of the Mako reactor that was home to the evil calamity Jenova, the only thing powerful enough to make the great silver general go crazy.

"_Psst, Tifa!" _a voice called after what seemed like an hour. A ghostly version of Zack sat next tom me. I tried not to flinch that he had just appeared.

"_it's time to go!" _he told me before disappearing. _"Climb down off the tower and we can get you outta here." _I heard him say.

As soon as I got off the water tower I heard two consecutive door slams. I looked to my side to see both Tifa and Cloud scrabbling over to me in their PJ's they both hugged onto my legs. I hugged back best I could. I trying to lean down and stretch my arms around the two.

"You need to stand back." I told the two before walking back myself. "I don't know what might happen." I added with a smile as I waved goodbye and heard the two little children should their goodbyes.

"_Time to go"_ Zack's voice said. I heard the snap of his fingers as a small wind storm started around my feet.

**Well aren't you lucky two chapters finished in one day! Well ill see what I can do for getting these up quickly then **


	3. The Day My Mother Died

**Have any of you played birth by sleep? I was looking through some files about the kh games and I think they have this whole final fantasy character plot twist thing goin on. It's weird.**

**Zack got abducted when he was leaning on the wall! The person who took him left a black feather behind, a known trademark of the enemy of Zack and Cloud, SEPHIROTH! That could mean a major plot twist in kh3! Whadda you think?**

**Anyway enough of my ramblings enjoy the chapter.**

The Day My Mother Died

The wind picked up around me. I outstretched an arm to reach two children now standing a bit further away as soon as they saw the windstorm. Tifa held out a hand to Cloud and I watched as he took it from her. I looked around to see nobody else around before looking back to the two children holding hands beside me both looked at the wind in alarm.

"I'll see you soon!" I shouted over the wind as it carried me away. I watched the two wave at me before I couldn't see through the dust cloud that had formed around me in the wind. I called their names before I saw Zack appear next to me.

"So you told them who you are." He said looking at me as if to ask if it was the right decision.

"Yes, I want them to know why I'm here and who I am." I told Zack with a small nod of determination.

"Well, it's your life." He said with a small chuckle as he disappeared and the wind died down.

The wind dropped and I noticed I was in the same spot but at a different time. The bolts on the water tower had started to rust and a few more names had been carved into the wooden structure with a penknife.

I remembered which day I had chosen, the day my mother died. The height of the sun told me I had ten until ten on this day so I picked myself up off the floor and walked towards the house I knew used to be Cloud's. I knocked the door which was almost immediately opened by Mrs Strife. She was small like Cloud and thin with mid length blonde hair she kept up at the back of her head and striking green eyes that I noticed Cloud didn't inherit. The sight of her almost made me cry. She looked so young and happy as she smiled back into her house before turning to me.

"Well hello dear, how can I help you?" she asked me kindly still smiling at me as I looked her over. She had the broom in her hand just as I always remembered she did. She used to shoo Cloud out to play with it.

"Hello Mrs Strife, is Cloud home?" I asked with a genuine smile. I always used to like Mrs Strife because she used to make the best cookies in the entire town.

"He is, but mind me asking what a young thing like you is doing around here, and how do you know my Cloud?" she looked at me suspiciously like I was trying to take her child away. She was always so protective of her son since she was sure she would only have him –something I knew was true. I smiled a little more at her remembering how she used to scold Cloud for hiding where she couldn't find him.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you who I was or why I'm here. I can tell you Cloud and I are very close..." I said with a small grin as I twisted the wedding band on my finger. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by the women before me.

"Married, 'ey? Who's the lucky guy, do I know him?" she asked elbowing me softly and playfully in the arm before moving back. She called to her son now that she was sure I wasn't here to make trouble.

"You know him so well it would make you happy to know he married." I told her truthfully with another smile as I watched Cloud skid down the stairs and walk to the door yawning on his way before seeing me. I remembered that he was eight right now and saw how he had grown in the four years, but not much.

"Tia!" Cloud cried as he got closer to me he hugged me around the waist as a hello gesture. He used the fake name I had given him after the story I had told both him and Tifa about who I am. I asked him to call me Tia because it was less suspicious if I was Tia than if I was Tifa.

"Well hello cutie!" I said leaning down and plucking Cloud up off the ground so I could kiss his cheek. Cloud made a noise of disgust and wiped his cheek like I had a disease which made me giggle. He did the same thing when he was younger.

I laughed and kissed his cheek again this time the other one watching as Cloud made another noise of disgust playfully pouting and shaking his head vigorously. "Aww you big meanie. Give it a few years and you'll be dying for a girl to kiss you." I told him touching the tip of his nose lightly and watching him scrunch it up and unscrunch it again. I giggled lightly before I spoke again putting Cloud down. "Now, how are things with Tifa?" I asked him rubbing his spikes watching as he let out a small giggle and closed his one eye as he looked up at me. I saw a frown of confusion on Mrs Strife's face at the little exchange we just had but she soon turned it back to a smile as I looked at her quickly then back to Cloud.

"She's okay... I think. But her mom is ill so she hasn't been out much." I frowned at the boy remembering this time in my life. My mother had been ill for a month or two before she died but I couldn't show how sad I was because Johnny would say I was a baby. I knew Cloud wouldn't say that to me though, he was too kind as a child.

"Would she remember me if we went over?" I asked stooping down to Cloud's level and smiling sadly at him. Cloud nodded enthusiastically before looking at his mother for approval. She just nodded to us both before disappearing back inside the house.

"Tifa, did you come to today because something bad happens?" Cloud asked as soon as the front door of his house shut. I looked down at the boy sadly and gave a small sigh and a nod.

"Today my- Tifa's- mother will die. I remember feeling alone and confused and I ended up hurting everyone. So today I need you to be there for Tifa. It happens in-" I looked at my watch "-two hours. We should get up there now."

Cloud nodded and walked back into his house for a minute. He came back out with a bunch of flowers in pinks and whites and blues and yellows. I smiled at him before I began walking. Cloud followed me to the next house in the road; Tifa's. Cloud stood beside me while I rapped on the door. The door was opened by an aging man I knew as my father from when I was eight,

"Hello, da- sir." I said stopping myself short and standing up a little straighter. "We came to speak with Tifa, would it be alright?"I asked politely because my father did always teach me manners could get you many places in life. Mr Lockhart looked me up and down before noticing Cloud next to me.

"Ah, hello Cloud!" he said almost happily. I wondered if he was faking it or not.

"Hi sir can we come in please? I have flowers for Mrs. Lockhart and I wanna see Tifa." Cloud spoke with a small smile on his lips as he thought of Tifa his smile made me smile.

"Sure, go in Cloud." He said looking back to me again. Cloud scrambled into the house and walked up the stairs.

"I'm with him." I said following Cloud up to my old room. I had to choke back tears as I heard a cough from the room my mother used to have noticing my distress Cloud took my hand and led me to my old room. Tifa sat inside on her bed staring at the piano.

"Tifa." I said quietly hoping the girl would understand what my presence meant. I saw the small quivering lip from the strong little girl before I heard a sniff and saw Tifa nod.

"If it's going to happen soon we should go talk to her." she said monotonously with another sniffle before wiping her nose on the back of her hand. I stooped down in front of the girl as she started to move.

"Be strong young one." I told her before kissing her head and getting up. "Two hours Tifa, I'm going to stay with you for as long as I can so you don't do anything stupid." I told her taking her hand.

"Tia, aren't you sad too?" Cloud asked looking around checking the coast was clear before leaning forward to whisper loudly "it is your mom too."

I smiled at Cloud and felt my smile dim at the thought of having to go through my mother's death twice. I remember what I did the first time, I was so broken up about it, so ready to believe anything... I ended up getting hurt because of it.

"I already cried about it, Cloud. I already did some... stupid things that's why I came back, so Tifa didn't do those stupid things too." I told the two leaning down to ruffle Clouds hair and pick Tifa up to sit her on my lap as I sat on the bed. I grabbed a tissue off the bedside table and started whipping her tears that had leaked out of her eyes.

"I know it hurts Tifa, but you don't have to hide it, nobody will judge you for crying." I told the girl feeling her head as it hit my shoulder when she started crying onto me. I rubbed her back reassuringly waiting for her to feel like the tears had passed enough to get up and see her mother.

Ten minutes passed and Tifa finally moved herself from the wet patch in my shoulder to look at me with mature and guarded eyes.

"Let's go see mom." She said to me taking my hand and standing up ready to walk towards her mother.

"Are you sure?"

"Let's go Tifa!" she added looking away. I knew another tear had slipped out from the tone in her voice. I nodded and we walked the short distance into Mrs Lockhart's room I heard her coughing from outside as Tifa knocked on the door.

"Come in." A voice called, my mother's voice wasn't strong but it wasn't overly weak either, you could tell she was ill from her voice, she sounded it.

"Mom, this is my friend." She said motioning to me. Cloud was right behind me having decided to come to give the flowers to Mrs Lockhart.

"Ah hello dear..." my mom started as she tried to prop herself up on the pillows to sit up.

"Don't, you need to be careful." I muttered softly rushing over to help her sit up instead of watching her struggle.

"Dear, I'm not an old lady, some little cold isn't going to kill me-" just as Mrs Lockhart was going to say more she started coughing uncontrollably into her hand. I saw the red splatters on her hand as she wiped them on the side of the bed that Tifa couldn't see.

"Mom..." Tifa whispered hopelessly as the tears sprang from her eyes once again. She ran up to her mother and threw her arms on top of her in an awkward hug as she started to cry more.

"Tifa..." I said as I crouched to her level. "Remember: me and Cloud will be here for you and you get the goodbye you always wanted." I murmured hoping our mother wasn't listening. I saw Tifa nod sadly and sniff before hugging me quickly

"It's okay to cry, it's your mom too." She whispered in my ear pricking the tears in my eyes too. Thoughts of my mother came back in a rush and a lump developed in my throat. I had been trying to be strong but my mother still lay dying before me, I couldn't change it, she was going and I was acting as if it was someone else's mother.

"Excuse me, but who exactly _are_ you?" Mrs Lockhart asked me looking from her young daughter to me.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you..." I said looking up and taking a shaky breath. Mrs Lockhart looked at the tears in my eyes. "mom." I added on the end hoping she would understand who I was. Mrs Lockhart seemed a little confused as she looked at me taking in how old I looked but also the tears in my eyes and the way I cared for her younger daughter- my younger self.

"Tifa, I thought you weren't allowed to let anyone know who you were." Younger Tifa said looking up at me with her own tears visible on her cheeks.

"I told you, didn't I? I'm allowed to tell a few people... I haven't been told off yet." I told her adding a small laugh at the thought of Zack telling me off for telling my dying mother who I was.

"Tifa?" My mother asked. She looked so small and ill now that I really looked at her face.

"It's me mom, I'm just an older version." I told her getting onto my knees beside her head and taking her hand. "I'm twenty four, I live in Midgar, I'm married and I have kids –sort of- mom, I love you." I told her gettimg a little emotional at my mother's recognition hoping she believed me. I knew she believed me when my mother smiled at me.

"An angel told me you might come." She told me shocking everyone in the room. "She said her name was Aerith and that she was friends with you for a while before she died. She told me my time was coming soon and that another angel might guide you to me, she said you would have some things to tell me. I want to know about your children, your husband, your life." She told me grasping my hand tighter with both of hers.

"Mom, I want to tell you all those things, I want to stay and talk to you forever but I can't, I couldn't take Tifa's last hour with you away from her." I said looking up to the clock to notice it was in fact only an hour until my mother would die. I looked over to Tifa who ran over to hug her.

"Mom, I don't want you to die, who will I get ice cream with if you die?" Tifa sobbed into her mother's stomach. (Yes, I stole that from kingdom hearts, so sue me. Wait, don't.)

"Tifa, baby, it will be alright in the end. Just look how you end up? You end up strong and happy and you're going to find someone. You're going to move to the big city and become successful." My mother looked at me as if for confirmation that what she was stating was true. I nodded watching as she suddenly started coughing again.

"I really think you should lie down." I said moving to try and lie Mrs Lockhart down onto the bed.

"Tifa stop fussing." She told me with a light annoyed smile. "And Cloud don't stand in the doorway, you look like you're intruding when you act like that." I looked over to Cloud just as Tifa did to see him standing awkwardly with the flowers he had bought.

"I bought these for you ma'am, I hope you like them." Cloud said walking forward and handing the flowers over.

"They're beautiful, thank you, Cloud. Did your mother help you to pick these out?" Mrs Lockhart asked holding the flowers to her face. I watched as her eyes fluttered closed as she sniffed in the flower's smell.

We stayed like that – small talk and me fussing- for another 45 minutes, even Mr Lockhart came in to see if his wife was alright. Everyone seemed to almost forget anything was wrong – apart from when Mrs Lockhart would cough. That is, we forgot until Mrs Lockhart's condition got considerably worse. She started coughing uncontrollably and losing all her energy.

"Mom, it's time to say goodbye." I heard Tifa mumble as I took a hard breath in. The lump in my throat had grown bigger and I felt I couldn't speak. I saw a shimmering outline of Aeirth and my Gran standing by my mother's bedside.

"Goodbye..." I muttered sadly. Watching as the spirits moved closer.

"What do you mean 'goodbye'?" the younger version of my father asked as he looked around the room frantically to all the bowed mourning heads.

"Aerith and her mother have come for her." I told him watching as the two looked up at me with a nod. Aerith told Gran why I was there and I saw the woman smile at me. I blinked back at her sadly watching as she nudged my mother's side.

"Who is Aerith? How is she here?" Mr Lockhart sounded frantic he didn't know what was going on here; he didn't even know who I was. I wasn't going to tell him, not yet anyway...

"Sir, I'm sorry but you need to say you're goodbyes while she can still hear you." I told him in a soft whisper waiting for him to break down like I remember him doing.

"Honey..." I heard him sob out before I decided I had had enough.

"I'm going to go into your room." I told Tifa without waiting for a reply and leaving the room making sure to shut the door before walking into Tifa's room and sitting down on her bed with my knees up looking at the piano.

As I waited I scooted forward placing my hands against the ivory keys without realising my intentions. My hands slid over the keys as I played a memorised piano melody I knew from all those years ago. I smiled as I closed my eyes. Memories flickered behind my eyelids as I saw flashed of my mother, my father, Aerith. I saw everyone who I had lost and everyone still here. My head hurt from all the flashes started to flash white and silver and I saw Sephiroth.

I opened my eyes as if I had just had a nightmare. I noticed the door to the room everyone stood in open and close quietly as Cloud came out and sat beside me.

"She's gone." He whispered to me. I pulled the young boy up onto my lap seeing the small tears in his eyes. "Mrs Lockhart was always nice to me, she let me stay for dinner any time I wanted to, she was one of those really nice people, the ones who _cared_. And now shes-"

"Shh Cloud, it's okay. We need to be strong to help Tifa over this." I told the boy whipping the tears from his face.

"Tifa is in there with her dad they need to say goodbye one last time. They were crying a lot."

"Okay well we will wait for a bit and when Tifa comes out we can take her out so she can clear her mind." I told Cloud watching him nod and snuggle close to me as we waited.

An hour passed before Tifa came out. I knew I had been here close to three or four hours now, so I had around eight or nine hours left. As soon as Tifa came off I took her one hand and Cloud took the other. Her face was red and her eyes still leaking but we didn't need to say anything to her as we walked out of her home up towards the field we went to last time I was here.

we sat for a little while just looking up to the sky while each thinking of our own thoughts.

"I – I know what I have to do!" Tifa said looking up at me with a smile. "my mother is over the other side of Mt Nibel!" she told me. I looked at her with a sad sigh.

"Tifa..."

"Tia, she must be, nobody goes over there so she's waiting for me to go find her!" the little girl looked up at me.

"Tifa, Honey, you're just confused. Your mother isn't anywhere near the mountain. She's in the lifestream. If you go to Mt Nibel you will get hurt badly. Thats what happened to me." I told her showing the small scar I still had on the back of one of my legs.

"But it's only a little scratch..." Tifa said uncertainly running a hand over the scar.

"I fell off the bridge, I was in a coma." I told her sitting up to look at Cloud where he sat shredding grass with his fingers. "Cloud got off lighter, he just got the blame. People thought he pushed me." I told her watching Cloud look up at me

"I wouldn't!" he told us shaking his head and looking upset at the thought. "Tifa is my best friend! I wouldn't!" he told me.

"I know, sweetie but the town didn't." I told Cloud kissing his hair and waiting for the flinch that never came.

"Tifa, I told you I would keep you safe for the next few hours, I'm not letting you go to Mt Nibel, I'm sorry honey but trust me it wont help."

"Okay." Tifa sighed looking up at me before crawling over into my lap like a smaller child would've. "Can you cuddle me then? You look more like my mom than anyone I know." She told me hiding her face in my shoulder and winging her arms around me.

I held onto Tifa with a hand rubbing circles on her back and a hand on the back of her head as I rocked her forward and backward while murmuring reassuring words to her for a little while. Cloud just sat watching us for a while. I don't know how long I spent comforting Tifa. We sayed out until it was dark. Tifa had decided to hold Cloud's hand as soon as she let go of me. It was like he was her life tether once again like he was before when they were younger.

"Cloud, Tifa, don't you need to be home? Its eight pm." The two yawned and I knew I kept them up past their bed times. As we walked down to town I wondered who would mind more Mrs Strife who was overprotective or Mr Lockhart who had just lost his wife. It was a tough decision.

"Cloud!" I heard a voice call form a little way out of town.

"Mama!" Cloud called back "I'm here mama, me, Tia and Tifa just went to sit out in the Chocobo fields for a little bit!" he called walking down to his mother who was holding a torch to see us walking towards town.

"I was worried!" the woman said hugging her child before taking his hand and turning to Tifa. "yur Father is looking for you." She told the girl looking at me for a second.

"Do you know why Mr Lockhart is so upset?" she asked me quietly hoping not to upset Tifa if it was something drastic.

"Mrs Lockhart has just passed away." I told her quietly trying not to remind Tifa of her mother.

"Well, you better get her home. Her father is worried." With that Mrs Strife went back to her home with her son's hand in hers.

"Tifa come on." I said tugging on her hand to get her into her home.

"Tifa! I was worried!" I heard Mr Lockhart call from the house. I watched as Tifa ran over to her dad hugging him around the middle while I stayed a little ways away trying to hid from the eyes of my dad.

"Its gonna be okay daddy." I heard Tifa whisper as she took her father's hand and walked them both back into their house.

I sighed before doing just the same as I did last time I was here: I climbed to the top of the water tower and watched the whole town in its sleep. Nibelheim was one of those towns that had a quiet night time where everyone was asleep all at the same time. It was very un-like home for me seeing as both edge and Midgar are noisy throughout most of the night and even some of the early hours.

After an hour I went back to the field walking bolding towards a Chocobo. The large bird looked at me curiously before I held out the greens to it and it took them from me letting me stroke its large feathered head.

"Simple life, eh?" I asked the bird hearing it wark in reply before I chuckled and fed it more greens. It lay down warking as it to insist I sat with him. I sat next to the Chocobo laying my head on its yellow wing and listening to the small noises it made as it wrapped its head around for me to stroke.

After a little while of sitting there I saw Zack and Aerith appear near the Chocobos.

"hey." I said quietly to the two smiling at them as they came closer.

"I just thought you would want to know that your mother is fine. She said she was happy to have seen you like that before she passed."Aerith said with a soft smile as she sat on the grass beside me.

"Thank you." I told her with a small smile before turning to Zack.

"Times up?" I asked him watching as he nodded. I stood up brushing myself off while Aerith did the same.

"Ok, you ready?" Zack asked smiling and snapping his fingers as wind started to swirl again.

"You did well today, you know. They're going to be okay." He told me with a smile as the wind picked up completely blinding my view of the Chocobo and the fields around me so I was once again at the entrance of Nibelheim in the daylight.


	4. The Day Our Town Burned To The Ground P1

The Day Our Town Burned To The Ground Part 1

**Sorry it took so long! It was a lot t o write I think its the biggest chapter I've ever written at 6000 words. Well, who wants to give me applause? Nobody? Okay...**

**Anyway, I tried to work with what I had so if it isn't good then just say lol.**

**Enjoy!**

"Your first full day Tifa! You have 24 hours." Zack's voice rang in my head making me smile as his breath tickled my neck even if he wasn't there.

"Its nine in the morning in the heat of Nibelheim summer and now look up Tifa, Damn look at that sexy beast coming up into town!" Zack's voice said as I turned towards the entrance where Zack was entering with Sephiroth and the two young cadets -one of the two being Cloud. I saw Sephiroth stop just outside of town checking something down on the ground as I scowled at his back before answering Zack.

"Wait, why is Cloud still trying to get into SOLDIER, I thought he only joined because he wanted to impress me." I said remembering when Cloud had explained it to me about how he felt. He said he joined SOLDIER to impress me, because he felt weak and like he couldn't be anything here in Nibelheim.

"He still got into fights with the other boys because they used to say things about both of you behind you back. At first he would just walk away but after he got tired of it and started throwing the odd punch. The other boys fought better so Cloud went into SOLDIER to get stronger to protect you instead of impress you. You kept in touch with each other and Cloud still talked to you even after he didn't get into SOLDIER... He just didn't tell you he didn't get in." Zack told me as we watched Sephiroth talking to the group just in front of the gates.

"So in making sure I didnt do anything stupid, I didn't do much at all." I said looking at Zack as Cloud went back to get his helmet.

"Nope, you just made it easier for you, which is fine, without Cloud coming back here with me and Sephiroth then Mr Crazy over there probably killed the world faster." Zack motioned to Sephiroth before looking back at me with a smile.

"So anyway, sexy guy right there, agree?"

"Yeah that cadet on the right is damn sexy!" I teased Zack knowing he was talking about himself

"Hey! Cloud is actually on the left and I'm totally telling him you called his buddy sexy." Zack told me as the men advanced. He disappeared before I could turn to stick my tongue out at him.

I smiled as I watched the two cadets walking into town. The one on the right was definitely Cloud. He was walking closer to Zack and he had the same air to his walk. While I was watching them I saw a flash of brown running towards me unknowingly about to crash into me.

"Tifa look out!" I called just before the girl ran into me sending us both to the floor. I sat up first with a small huff of breath.

"Sorry Tia..." Tifa said to me sadly I pulled up her face by her chin and sat us both up so she was sitting on my knees while my legs were folded beneath me.

"Now, tell me what's wrong." I suggested to the girl taking off her cowgirl hat and brushing her hair out of her red blotchy face. I knew I used to hope Cloud would come to town and when I heard SOLDIER were coming I would wait by the gates for them to arrive to ask if they knew him. I remembered how some days I never used to get any letters and his mother did and how I used to worry that he had been killed seeing as I never heard anything of him.

"Cloud said he would be coming some time soon on a mission but Cloud didn't come today..." she said with a sigh confirming to myself that I still did the same things even when I knew he was a friend of mine. I smiled slightly to the girl.

"Did Cloud say he would come?" I asked her pulling more stray fringe out of her eyes.

"Yes..." Tifa sniffed

"Then why do you doubt him?" I said with a smile that increased as the distance between us and the approaching SOLDIER's decreased.

"But he's-"

"Shhhh! Stay here!" I told her quickly ducking her head down behind a box as I moved further towards the Nibelheim Inn.

"Hey Zack! Take Cloud's helmet off so I can kiss him!" I shouted to the black haired SOLDIER standing next to the inn. Zack looked at me then to the boy I knew was Cloud before pulling off his helmet to reveal his short hair blue eyes and earring. I smiled wider as I ran over and kissed Cloud's cheek.

"Hey Tia." he said rolling his eyes as I engulfed him in a hug playing with the earring.

"What? This is okay this time?" I asked with a giggle. Cloud just shrugged with a smirk. "Told you you'd want girls kissing you at this age." I told him smugly.

"bet they're all over you in Midgar" I stated sarcastically watching Zack smile and cough next to Cloud in a sort of laugh while Cloud elbowed Zack.

"Maybe I got a girlfriend..." Cloud mumbled looking away from me for a minute. I ignored him placing another kiss on his cheek.

"I guess the lucky girl is either Aerith or Tifa because you never knew any other girls in your life!" I chuckled pulling my arms from around his neck as he gaped at me like a fish. Instead I turned to Zack who was snickering and saying things along the lines of 'she's totally psychic' while Cloud shot him a glare.

A huge smile graced my lips at the very sight at the man who had been dead just a minute ago.

"Zack!" I shouted flinging myself at him and smiling as I happily wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Hello very enthusiastic person!" he half laughed half shouted back to me and started hugging back. We swayed and twisted while hugging and I knew he was smugly looking over his shoulder as I moved away to face him.

"If you knew what I went through because of you... God, I wonder if you're as annoying now as you are when your-" I stopped talking when I heard a hiss from the dead Zack.

"He doesn't need to know yet!" he told me before his presence faded I nodded to thin air before turning back to the two as if I had finished my sentence.

"Does she always do that?" Zack asked Cloud who shrugged as he replied.

"How should I know? I only met her 3 times!"

"then why do you put up with her?" Zack asked confused.

"She may not be crazy so I just go with her quirks." He told Zack with another small shrug.

"Gee, thanks for thinking I'm not crazy" I mumbled rolling my eyes jokingly at the two. That was the point when Zack's mission partner came into the village.

Sephiroth.

The memories suddenly came rushing to the surface. The hot pain as his sword cut me, the pain in my heart as I found my fathers body what Cloud had to go through to keep one man dead...

"No!" I whispered to myself watching as the memories flashed behind my eyelids. I suddenly found my voice when I looked up to the man before me. "Get out of here!" I growled darkly and angrily looking at the man with my angriest face. He seemed confused at me but he didn't speak, he just stared at me for an immeasurable amount of time.

"Tia..." Cloud said taking hold of my arm so I couldn't do anything rash as I saw red and panted out through my nose like an angry bull. All I saw was red as I tried to unsuccessfully break the grip bloud had on my arm feeling all hope was lost when Zack saw Cloud struggling to hold onto me and coming to hold my other arm himself. I spat in Sephiroth's direction

"Tia, calm down!" a voice told me. I saw younger Tifa coming over to me. I didn't even flinch or look at the girl before speaking up to her. "Tifa. Some time soon I'm going to tell you what I'm here to prevent. Maybe then you will get why everyone I know hates him." I told the girl. She had replaced her hat and was looking at me with a worried expression.

"Tell me tonight. We can go to Cloud's since his mom will be happy to know he visited." I looked over to the almost normal version of Cloud whose cheeks were now flaming with his embarrassment.

"I can't tonight; I have to tell you sooner. It started tonight." I told her I looked to Zack with a stern look.

"You're going to lend me your blonde cadet." I told him. Zack looked shocked by the statement thinking maybe I should ask instead.

"And why should I?" he asked playfully.

"Because I'm doing a lot of favours for you next year and you will be repaying me with a hell of a lot of bartending work." I told him truthfully I heard dead Zack whine in my ear about having to work on the bar but I ignored him watching a Zack pushed the boy at me.

"Thank you." I said with a nod before taking Cloud by the hand and leading him to his mom's house. Tifa was holding his other hand with intertwined fingers.

"You two better be together for that to be acceptable" I said sternly like a mother at the two. Tifa blushed deep red and Cloud looked away hoping I couldn't see the colour on his face. Their reactions answered my question yes for them.

"Told you it would be Tifa" I said smirking down on both of them. They both looked up at me like I was crazy. Maybe it was because they thought I was going to be angry with them. "My husband and I took months to get together even after he contracted a fatal disease." I told them letting go of Cloud to knock the door.

"Is he okay?" Tifa asked wondering out loud what the older her had to go through. I let out a small laugh and a smile.

"He's fine, his Geostigma is gone and all that's left to remind us of that day are the scars on his arms and chest." I told them faltering to look back and glare at Sephiroth's silver hair covered back.

"Geostigma?" Cloud asked as Mrs Strife opened the door. I looked at Cloud with a sad frown.

"You handled it a lot better than Denzel did, I think you must've had it easier because you had it less time... but it couldn't have been easy and you had the worst attacks out of the two of you..." I told him before realising I was referring to Cloud as himself, this version of Cloud did remind me of my Cloud the most out of all the time I had been here, it was an easy slip to make when the only differences were height and his eyes.

"Denzel?" Tifa asked sounding just like Marlene. I was silent looking for a distraction. I found it as I looked up to the wide eyes of Mrs Strife.

"Hello again, ma'am. I need to speak to you this time." I said ignoring Tifa for a minute as she whined at me for not answering as a shocked Mrs Strife invited us into her house.

"Well, come in don't be shy! Cloud, you come here, I didn't notice you in the doorway, oh how big you've gotten! Tifa don't just stand there, come in come in! Cloud, wipe your boots on the mat. I'm sorry; I'm not usually this hectic, you need to forgive me dear." The last part was directed at me as I made my way through the living room. I could tell from the way Mrs Strife was rambling at me all of a sudden she knew something was going to happen.

I walked further into the house following Mrs Strife into the small kitchen where she sat at a table and started massaging her temples like she developed a large headache.

"Am I about to die?" the woman asked whirling on me slightly as she checked some food she was cooking. "Mrs Lockhart died last time you were here and then after you just disappeared leaving a whole legacy of rumours about being a death angel. So I want know: am I about to die?" Cloud looked like he wanted an answer too. I looked down and shook my head.

"I'm going to do the best I can to make sure you, Mr Lockhart, Tifa and Cloud all survive this." I looked out the window before quickly adding "And Zack."

All three people around me looked at me curiously.

"You never answered my question." Tifa suddenly asked at the same time Cloud asked "you can't be certain of it?

"No Cloud, I'm sorry but I can't tell you who is going to die if I interfere. In my time, it was devastating the least I can do is soften the blow." I looked away from the boy and turned to Tifa. "And Tifa to answer your question... Denzel is... Mine and my husband's son. We adopted him after Midgar's plate fell and he became a sick orphan that Cloud found." I looked at my hands in my lap as I realised I slipped up again. I sat quietly as I let them digest the information. I wondered why I was still using the term 'My husband' for Cloud. I bet they knew who he was by now. I looked up at Mrs Strife through my lashes before shyly lifting my head to see her.

"Who are you?" she asked looking at me with shock that I had said something that seemed so far away. I looked up with a small smile as my gaze flickered to each person in turn before I smiled directly at Mrs Strife.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Tifa Strife. I live in Edge -the place built after the fall of Midgar - with my husband and two kids nine years into the future. I came back to make things right." I told her looking at Tifa and Cloud as they digested the information I had not previously given them.

"Oh my gosh! I'm gonna marry Cloud!" Tifa gasped. She was the first to recover from the information. I smiled at the girl and plucked my golden wedding ring off my finger. Almost immediately the small inscription inside the ring was being read out loud by the teenager I had given it to.

"'I love you, love Cloud.'" she read out to everyone before handing to ring back to me I smiled at her reluctance to do so.

"you two get married if you want, this reality is different you may not feel the same." I told Tifa with a smile as she started asking me about how long we had been together, had we thought about having kids, did I have a good job, all those kinds of things. I looked over to the silent side of the Kitchen answering Tifa's questions automatically as they came at me like darts.

I watched as Cloud poked his mother's side trying to get her attention. "Are you okay mom?" Cloud asked poking his mother's side once more. Mrs Strife just looked at me like I had grown three heads.

"Mrs Strife, in my world things were different from how I'm trying to make them. Cloud never had a friend, he went off to SOLDIER and nobody knew he was here in the end." I told her with a breath before continuing.

"In my world Sephiroth went mad and burned down Nibelheim with you and my father and everyone else dying." I told her one again looking out to see Zack and Sephiroth chatting in front of the inn.

"So... I am going to die?" the woman asked quietly looking only at her hands in her lap.

"No ma'am, you aren't going to die, I'm not going to let Sephiroth win this time." I told her with a sigh.

"What happened to Cloud and Zack?" younger Tifa asked me with wide eyes.

"Cloud... Was an experiment of professor Hojo for four years. The same goes for Zack. After that both escaped but Zack was killed as he was protecting Cloud. Cloud forgot who he was and became Zack. Eventually he snapped out of it but he managed to get that stupid fatal disease." I felt my face twist in disgust at the thought of the black slime produced by the Geostigma. I hated it with a passion. I was glad I would never have to deal with it again.

"Don't make that face Tifa, you know we healed him completely." Zack's ghostly voice echoed around the room causing everyone to start turning and panicking.

"Actually, Aerith healed him. You only helped give Cloud a confidence boost." I told the voice looking up to the ceiling as I spoke.

"Well he got stabbed in the chest AGAIN! What was I meant to do? Hand him a Phoenix Down and a potion and say 'Go get him!'? You know that wouldn't work with Cloud." Zack materialised leaning on Cloud's head as he spoke earning gasps from everyone in the room.

"I guess." I said indifferently with a shrug as everyone looked at Zack. "Everyone, this is the dead version of Zack Fair. He likes being sarcastic and doesn't often give you a straight answer." I told them with flourish as he walked away from Cloud and leaned on my shoulder.

"Eh, bite me." Zack said swatting my ear playfully before looking around the room.

"Hey Mrs Strife!" he said with a small wave at the older woman as he headed over to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "I LOVE your cooking so make me something please?" Zack asked for his alive self's comfort before both me and Tifa took a breath to scold him.

"Zack don't scare Cloud's mom!" both Tifa and I scolded at the same time. I looked over at her with a small smile at a giggle winking at the girl who wound her arm through to hold Cloud's.

"Jeez, you really are the same person..." Zack muttered once again trying to go back to getting Mrs Strife to make him food. I looked over to where Cloud and Tifa were retreating to the living room leaving Zack to talk the ear off Cloud's mother while I sat and watched.

I frowned for a second realising how much I missed my own Cloud. I thought of him back home celebrating Zack's death on his own. I looked to the ghost who was trying to make small talk with both of the Strifes –Cloud had came in for some popcorn because he and Tifa were going to watch a movie- who were just staring, trying to process he was dead.

It was at the point in the conversation where Zack was describing where he had spent the years since his death when his phone went off in his pocket.

"What, so you have phones in the Lifestream now?" I asked sarcastically as Zack cringed at the caller ID.

"Crap, it's Aerith." Zack told me looking up "I didn't tell her I was visiting you just to talk I kinda joked about haunting you..." he disappeared knowing the call would take a while if it was the rant he was betting on getting.

"Zack's a ghost?" Cloud asked me sadly looking up with his big blue eyes.

"He died five years from now." I told Cloud sadly watching him frown. "You were there, you told me about it; how it happened, how you felt, how you thought you could've prevented it... You really did take it pretty hard. You forgot who you were and started to be Zack in the trauma of everything that was going on for you." I told him leaning down to his level to see the tears glittering in his eyes. I knew Zack and Cloud had been best friends even at this point in his life.

"But this time I'm going to save him." I told Cloud with a small smile lifting his chin to make him look at me.

"I'm going to make sure you never change and always act like this. My little Cloud." I let out another small force smile before kissing the blonde's forehead and walking over to stand beside Mrs Strife.

"What's the matter, dear?" she asked after a minute handing me a mug of tea she had been making while I reassured Cloud of Zack's safety.

"I miss him." I said with a sigh. I wondered how Cloud was handling being at home with Marlene, Denzel and Shelke all at once. I hope he wasn't trying to watch over me too...

"Who?" the woman asked as we both moved to sit at the table.

"Cloud..." I said with sigh thinking about Cloud and the rare smiles he gives in comparison the young smiling boy before me who lived in the barracks at Shinra in Midgar now.

"But he's right there, sweetie." she said nodding to where Tifa and Cloud were snuggled together watching the small TV from the smaller sofa with the bowl of popcorn nestled between them.

"I mean MY Cloud. My twenty five year old goof ball who works as a delivery boy and rarely smiles and never says more that three words in a sentence to anyone but me." I sighed again, pausing to shaking my head. "My Cloud is so much different from your son now..." I told her looking to Cloud as he pressed small kisses to Tifa's temple.

"Why is he so different?" the woman beside me asked with a frown as she watched her child from where we stood.

"He thinks he isn't good enough for anything. He's shy and has issues with talking to people. He doesn't like losing what he has and constantly blames himself for anything he can. But he's so honest and trustworthy most of the time. Sometimes you can read his face like a book and he's so strong; mentally and physically." I stopped my list of why Cloud was different with a hum of contentment.

I missed what my Cloud was like.

Just as Mrs Strife was about to speak my phone rang from its perch next to the key bowl in the living room.

"That's funny..." I mumbled to myself going to pick up the phone and noticing it held no number or caller id. I wondered who had managed to call my phone when the only people with my number where in the future.

"Hello?" I asked hesitantly after retrieving my phone. I wasn't sure if my phone should even be ringing in a dream.

"Tifa?" an urgent worried voice asked into the phone.

"Cloud!" I called into the phone glad to hear Clouds voice. All the heads in the room snapped to me as I grinned to the point of almost purring.

"Tifa!" he replied almost happily. I wondered where he was now to think to call me.

"How did-" I started before Cloud interrupted.

"Aerith told me to ring your phone. Apparently you're on some kind of mission, right?" he sounded more worried as he spoke now hoping he was right in what he was doing.

"I am, I'm in the past in Nibelheim before the fire. I'm sitting with you and me and your mother. Cloud, you were so different before Zack died..." I told him with a sigh noticing how all the occupants of the kitchen were looking at me still with mixed emotions. A happy face, a sad face and a confused face all stared at me. The sadness in Cloud's eyes reminded me of the situation. Sephiroth needed to be stopped and Cloud and his mom kept safe.

"My... Mother?" Cloud asked sadly interrupting my inner thoughts. By the sounds of his voice I could tell Cloud knew she would die soon where I was.

"Do you... Want to talk to her?" I asked motioning to Mrs Strife to come here and take the phone from me. My only reply from Cloud was a soft noise of thanks as I passed the phone over and walked over to the younger versions of myself and Cloud leading them out into the living room.

"Who was that?" Tifa asked from her place on Cloud's lap on the sofa.

"My Cloud." I told her quietly before sitting down next to them. Both looked at each other confused before looking to me with questioning eyes.

"The one at home, he's worried about me. He's talking to his mom right now, its the last chance he will ever get most likely so it may take a little while." I told the two sitting on the floor next to the two watching whatever they had put on the tv.

Three hours –longer than I expected- passed until Mrs Strife handed over the phone with small tears in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to cry more than I could tell she already had.

"Cloud?" I asked into the phone hoping he was still there.

"Hey Tifa." He said quietly. I could tell he was still thinking of his mother.

"You better hope these between time calls are free or you will be in big trouble." I told him hearing a soft grunt from his side which was Clouds version of a laugh.

"If they aren't we can blame Zack." He told me. I knew he had one of his small Cloud smiles on his face right now. I smiled back at him before I spoke.

"I miss you."

"I miss you too." He replied without even a pause.

"You are okay aren't you, looking after the kids and Shelke and the bar and dealing with Zack's death alone, right?" I asked him looking at the phone from the corner of my eye.

"Tifa, don't worry about me, I'm fine. Shelke is helping me look after the kids, Barrett came over and he can cook the basics for us so we don't die, Zack's death was a few days ago so I should be fine. Just... make sure he lives this time. And Teef, I know I'm not alone anymore." He told me making me smile once again.

"I love you." I told him

"I love you too." His answer was just like when I said I missed him, without pause almost like he was going to say it as well.

"Teef, I gotta go, Marlene bought a puppy home."

"Marlene did WHAT?" I said as I heard the scrabble of claws on my clean wooden floor.

"Bye Teef,"

"If that thing scratched my floor so help me I will-" I heard the disconnected noise in the phone as Cloud quickly hung up to handle the puppy.

I looked over to see younger Cloud and Tifa smiling at me, trying to suppress a laugh at my behaviour.

"My daughter bought a puppy home!" I told them in disbelief.

"I can see why that would tick you off, however I need that cadet back." A voice said from across the room. We all looked at Zack who was leaning on the door frame of the open front door.

"Piss off Zack, he's mine for the day!" I told the man stubbornly crossing my arms.

"Did you just tell him to piss off?" Cloud asked in disbelief.

"I'm not scared of Zack. Besides, you are mine. Mine and Tifa's for the day before everything ends." I told him watching as he looked at his mother sadly.

"Oh it's on girlie! You did not just say you weren't scarred of me! I'm really scary, ask Cloud!" we all looked at Cloud who shrugged and uttered 'only in the mornings.' To Zack's shocked face.

I laughed at both Cloud's statement and Zack's face.

"Well you look like a Chocobo in the mornings!" Zack shot back at Cloud.

"He always looks like a Chocobo." Tifa informed Zack rolling her eyes as if it was so obvious.

"Jeez you two. Zack, you can stay here for a bit with us if you want. I think Cloud's Mom is cooking some food for us." I said looking to the kitchen where a still blotchy faced Mrs Strife stood cooking some stew.

"I'll stay!" I heard Zack chirp before jumping on the sofa with the other two who protested to having his sit on them. I wasn't watching them though. I was walking into the kitchen to see if Mrs Strife was okay.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" I asked lightly touching her shoulder.

"Please, call me Ann." Mrs Strife told me with a small weak smile as she turned to me. "You may as well seeing as you marry my son." She said sounding a little sad at the thought.

"What's wrong?" I asked again guiding Ann away to sit down for a minute so we could talk.

"He was so sad; he sounded like he was having a hard time alone. And a little boy kept interrupting saying something about a puppy." She told me looking a bit confused at the last part. I sighed at the thought of Cloud having trouble, he only had to wait a few more days for me to wake up, if I even woke up in that reality.

"Yeah, our friends little girl bought a puppy home. Denzel looks up to Cloud like an idol so he must've been trying to help Cloud control things." I told her with a smile.

"One more thing, does he look different? I mean, you seemed to recognise him but has he grown his hair long or cut it or anything like that, I mean, I won't see him at this age." Ann looked down timidly I saw an almost blush on her cheeks as she pushed her hair behind her ear and stared at both of her hands which she placed in her lap.

"You will see him at this age, I'll make sure of it." I told Ann placing a hand on hers and smiling at her as she lifted her head. "I have a picture if you want to see, I showed it to Cloud and Tifa when I was here the first time to get them to believe who I was." I told her pulling my phone back out of my pocket and displaying the photo to Ann. I watched her face light up as she took in his features with a growing smile.

"You're a good photographer"

"It was a lucky shot."

"He looks happy."

"We took the kids to Costa Del Sol to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Ann asked suddenly looking up at me with a questioning gaze. I looked back at her before looking away again to the picture still displayed on the screen.

"We were celebrating Cloud being home after so long of avoiding us, and we were celebrating the complete fall of Shinra. The kids were with our friend Red while we were swimming. I think he took them for ice cream when this was taken." I told her looking up with a small smile matching Mrs Strife's own smile.

"Damn, he's a hunk." Ann joked "I always used to wonder why he used to say he was going to be on hunk calendars when he was younger. I guess he was right." She added with a small laugh making both Tifa and Cloud turn their heads to the kitchen. Cloud saw my phone and guessed what was happening.

"Tia! Put that picture away!" he groaned banging his head back on the wall.

"Oh! Is it the sexy Costa Del Sol picture, let me see!" Tifa called getting up and running over. She giggled at the picture. "Last time I saw this I was five, I need to be able to see it clearer to see what I'm getting myself into!" she told us taking the phone and smiling more as she looked over the picture.

"This is so my background when I get one of these." she told me with a smirk.

"Who's in the picture?" Zack asked from over my shoulder.

"Err..." I said trying to think of something.

"It's Cloud's older brother." Ann supplied for us shrugging as she took the food off the stove and started pouring it into bowls.

"Oh yeah! His name is Cole!" Tifa added

"He's my boyfriend." I told Zack with a small smile.

"He looks just like Cloud!" Zack said easily fooled.

*I am not easily fooled I'm just going along with it*

*oh shush Zack.* I thought at him with a smile.

All of a sudden there was a knock at the door.

"Zack, you in here?" a smooth deep voice called.

"Yeah, Seph, I'll be there now!" I felt every person's emotions -except Zack's- go from happiness to absolute hate and anger.

"Don't call me that." the voice replied menacingly before adding "We will be going up to the reactor so if the guide is in there tell her we need her assistance." the man added without remembering that one of the cadets was with her. We listened as his footsteps retreated away after finishing his orders.

"Oh crap! I forgot I offered to do that!" Tifa groaned slapping a palm onto her forehead and banging her head back.

"I don't want to do it anymore. I can't be around him, even if he didn't do those things yet." Tifa said out loud still leaning her head back and slapping her palm off it.

"You think I want to go now that I know what I do? I don't, but I have to." Cloud informed her picking up Tifa's hand and dragging her up.

"Come on, we have to." he told her.

"You know, being home made you crazy what are you talking about, cloud? Tifa? Stuff he's going to do! It's Seph, he wouldn't hurt a fly!" Zack told us cheerfully not noticing everyone glaring at him in disbelief.

"Wouldn't hurt a fly" Ann scoffed "But he can take out a wutian army" she added from her place at the table we were all around.

"Why are you all against Seph?" Zack asked in a confused tone with a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's nothing Zack" Cloud assured his friend half heartedly looking at the door before walking towards it.

"Well, let's get this over with" Tifa muttered as she joined Cloud and the two left leaving a confused Zack running behind calling out for them to slow down.

"Do you think something will happen to them?" Ann asked sitting down on the sofa that had been previously occupied with the butts of Tifa and Cloud and patting the place next to her for me to sit.

"I know something happens, I just can't remember what." I said with a sigh as I flopped down onto the sofa before giving a small sheepish look towards Ann.

"Well, time will tell what happens." Ann told me patting my arm. "Now, how about some food?" she asked moving over to the kitchen with a smile she sent my way.

**Ok, great it's done! God this took me 2 weeks, I've been spending time drawing instead, lol I may not update for a little while now because I just started college and the homework I have from 3 days is piled on my desk. So... better get to that some time soon. Anyone any good with German homework? No? Thats cool, ill just attempt it on my own... along with the chemistry and biology and English.**

**THANX GUYS :(**

**Lol jk :D hope u enjoyed!**


	5. The Day Our Town Burned To The Ground P2

The Day Our Town Burned To The Ground Part 2

**I just realised I made an error. Tifa says she wants to go back to 'the day Zack died' I meant to say some day in the second year of Hojo's experiments cuz really, who wants to leave those two in Mako tanks for four years?**

**Anyway, just note that, I may change the bit in the first chapter.**

Cloud and Tifa came back from the mountains three hours later. Cloud had been injured and was at the inn with Zack, Tifa had gone home to her father afterwards because she wanted to see him before 'he went away' as she kept putting it.

I didn't want to tell her she was going with him yet, she thought she was staying to help me, Cloud and Zack to defeat Sephiroth, but I was going to let it play out how it actually did, Zack and Cloud would go into Mako tanks and Cloud would get stronger and be able to take out Sephiroth later on.

I remember reading Hojo's notes in the basement - when we found Vincent here - saying that specimen B (which I guessed was Cloud from later notes) had accepted all cells given to him and Mako before he shut down in his second year of treatment being branded as a failure but still being tested on with Mako to see its effects on him.

Zack could hang on for the two years I was leaving them.

I watched the town from the window where Ann and I sat. Zack and Sephiroth were standing outside the Inn while Zack talked almost angrily to Sephiroth. I knew that Zack was wondering why Sephiroth was acting as strange as I remember he was on the days that he was here., maybe this is when it began. I watched Sephiroth walk off towards the Shinra mansion with a sigh, I turned to Ann.

"I'm going to send you, my Father and Tifa to Klam. When you get there stay hidden for the next two years. I will get Zack and Cloud to you as soon as I can but I can't make any promises that I will be quick." I told her handing her my phone number on a piece of paper. "Ring me if you get into trouble on the way, but for now we have to get you ready to go." I told her looking over to the Inn for a minute before back to a worried Mrs Strife.

"Tia, I don't see why I need to pack and leave. What can these men do that could harm us?" she asked almost hopeful for a better answer than 'everything.'

"Ma'am, I cant tell you what would've happened. It's... too much to remember sometimes." I stopped as the images rushed behind my eyes while Ann stared at me blankly. Being back here in Nibelheim and being around the people, the town the place… it was mixing with the burning memories of orange and black. I sighed unzipping my over shirt down the middle watching Ann's eyes go wide as I did. I'll bet she had no idea what I was doing. "He cut me from here to here" I told her pointing at where the ends of my scar where through my white shirt. I saw the disbelief in her eyes and peeled back the corners of my shirt to show the beginning of the faint pink scar.

Ann gasped hesitantly reaching out almost as if to touch it. I wondered if she was going to however she pulled her hand back like it was moving out of its own will. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding in as she backed away a bit with wide fear filled eyes.

"So I need to leave while the town is still standing." Ann said looking towards her room slowly like her joints weren't working as fast as they would normally. I looked into her scared eyes for a minute before slowly nodding.

"Yes. Shinra will kill you if you try to leave when this happens so you need to leave quickly. I'll go talk to Mr Lockhart and Tifa and meet you at the gates at..." I looked at the clock noting the time of six o'clock. I had been here nine hours... "...nine make sure you're ready for a long journey because you're going to be going for a long time." I told her watching as Ann nodded and scurried off into her room leaving me to myself. I stood for a minute realising that I had some things to do before nine rolled around.

"I'm going to see Mr Lockhart." I told her as I walked to the front door and made my way out. I heard her shuffle around but she made no effort to reply to me, I guess she was still in shock.

The short journey seemed longer than usual as I looked over to the Inn where Zack stood outside pacing. I decided to go talk to him for a minute before confronting Tifa and Mr Lockhart.

"Hey stranger." I said walking up to the male before me. He was leaning on one of the posts outside of the inn and looking down with hooded eyes. It looked like he was dozing on the spot.

"Hey." He answered with a sigh not even looking up at me. Whether he was being short was because he forgot my name or didn't feel like talking I didn't know. "Tia, right?" he asked looking up at me now. I nodded weaving my hands together behind my back with a smile.

"I'm a friend of Cloud's." I told him with another smile as Zack held out a hand for me to shake.

"Pleasure." He told me as I shook his hand a small smile crossing his face.

"Seph in the Shinra mansion basement?" I asked feeling disgusted to say the childish nickname even to Zack.

"Yeah, I went down there a few hours ago and he just shut the door on me when I tried to get him outta there." Zack told me with a rough sigh as a hand travelled through his thick black mane.

"How's Cloud?" I asked changing the subject away from the silver haired general in the basement.

"Oh, he's fine. A little shook up but nothing a cure couldn't fix. He's just beating himself up over not being able to save his girl." He told me looking up with guarded blue-green eyes. I sighed and crossed my arms holding onto both my forearms and resting my hip on the pillar opposite to the one Zack still leaned on.

"He does that a lot." I told Zack with a look up to the room.

"You seem to know him very well." Zack commented looking up too seeing that Cloud was looking out the window over to the house his mother was currently packing in. It was as if he didn't want to miss his mother's death.

"Well, I grew up with him." I said with a smile while watching confusion in Zack's eyes. "Cloud is eight years younger than his brother so I practically watched him grow up. I used to live here too but my family moved away and Cole" –the name sounded weird on my tongue – "came to me in Midgar. He got a job delivering packages around Midgar and we moved in together. I came back here to see Tifa. Plus Cole told me to come look out for Cloud." I lied with a small convincing smile.

"Wow, so you knew Cloud as a baby?" Zack asked eyes wide.

"Yeah." I half lied. I had seen him as a baby; I was a baby myself at the time thought and couldn't remember it.

"Has he always had that hair and those eyes?" Zack asked looking more closely at me. I hoped he didn't see my resemblance to Tifa, I couldn't explain that as that we were related it wouldn't work out in my head.

"As long as I can remember he always had the spikiest hair in the world." I told Zack truthfully. I looked over to my old house out of the corner of my eye to see Tifa and her father in the window seeming to be sharing a meaningful conversation.

"Sorry Zack but I gotta go talk to the Lockharts." I turned to Zack for a minute with a smile before looking up to Cloud and nodding before turning towards the bigger house next to Cloud's.

I knocked on the door slowly seeing Tifa peak through the curtain like I had been taught to do before she smiled and ran to open the door.

"How's Cloud?" was her first question almost as if she had seen me over by the inn and knew that I was talking about Cloud with Zack. I replayed the information to Tifa before watching her relax visibly.

"Tifa! Who's at the door?" a voice called. I froze up out of habit as I heard the footsteps hard and heavy on the floor. I froze as I heard the familiar pattern in the footsteps.

"Dad..." I whispered looking up at the man my father had become. He looked the same as my most recent memories of him. He was the same height, same hair same eyes same glare.

"Dad, this is Tifa." Tifa told her father.

"Tia..." I corrected her absentmindedly looking down at my feet.

"No. You're Tifa. He has a right to know." She told me.

"Daddy, were sending you away for a little while." Tifa said to her father watching as his face turned shocked.

"Tifa..." I started to protest.

"What? Thats what your here to say isn't it? That dad is going away for a while until its safe.

"No Tifa, I'm here to tell you both to pack your bags because you need to be in Kalm before seven tomorrow morning." I told the girl putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No..." Tifa whispered pulling out of my grasp. "You can't send me away! I need to be here for you and Zack and Cloud! What about Cloud!"

"I'll be here for Cloud. Tifa, I can't let you get hurt like I did." I told her. My shirt was still unzipped from my encounter with Ann so I peeled back the undershirt slightly to show the end of the scar. I was surprised Zack never commented on it before, he must've been REALLY distracted by whatever was going on with Seph to not notice that.

I felt Tifa's hand as it ghosted over my stomach before she drew it back. I saw her face harden in determination while her fists balled at her sides.

"I don't care about the scar." She told me bravely looking down to the floor.

"I don't care if you care. You're going to Kalm with your father and Mrs Strife!" I told her. My tone was a bit sharp almost like a command but I didn't see the look on Tifa's young face waver at all. She was trying to look brave; stubborn as we both were I knew neither of us would back down.

"You're going." I told her with gritted teeth. I was mirroring her posture right down to the balled fists and rigid arms.

"Can I just butt in here and ask what the fuck is going on!" Mr Lockhart shouted starting calm before his anger increased.

"You and your daughter are moving to Kalm with Ann Strife before a fire breaks out tonight." I told him not looking away from Tifa's eyes like a bird locked in headlights.

"I'm staying" Tifa insisted through gritted teeth.

"You want to kill Zack, Cloud and your father?" I asked harshly louder than I should've in the current situation.

"Quit being so stubborn"

"Quit being a spoiled brat."

"You're the spoiled brat!" I called back at her.

"Shut up girls." Mr Lockhart shouted at us running a hand through his hair pushing his fringe back and sighing out loudly.

"Tell her we're staying!" Tifa shouted whirling on her father and before pointing accusingly at me.

"No, you need to leave." I told them both in the same tone Tifa used.

"Why? What right do you have to come in here and tell me to leave my home? Do I even know who you are? All I know is that you and my daughter have some kind of weird connection and you both share the same name." Before I could reply Tifa was speaking with a smug expression and folded arms.

"Ha. Looks like we aren't leaving."

"Jeez, you're a real bitch"

"You would know."

"GIRLS!" Mr. Lockhart called out now massaging his temples in a gesture of sleep deprivation.

"Hey Tifa do you know who get skewered by Sephiroth here?" I asked having no patience for my suddenly bratty younger self.

"You told me already Cloud." She said rolling her eyes at me like I was being too obvious.

"No, I meant the person who was skewered and _died_." I told her looking at my father suddenly and noticing his age. He was getting a few grey hairs at his age from stress and looked tired from lack of sleep. Tifa was speaking again before I could clear my thoughts.

"If this is a way to make me leave you have another think coming." Tifa warned me warily.

"So you want your dad to die?" I asked her catching the whole attention of everyone in the room.

"Die?" Mr. Lockhart asked the same time as Tifa said 'dad?'

"Yes, dad. How you think I got this?" -I pointed to the edge of the scar – "I was angry so I ran at Sephiroth and was cut when he took the sword from me and threw me down the stairs." I told her roughly pulling down my shirt and zipping up my outer shirt.

"Wait, that's where I saw your face, you were here when my wife died! You came in with Cloud and he was calling you Tia. You haven't aged, how? Are you part of the Lifestream?"

"Dad, someday you will ask too many questions to the wrong people. Just live with what you know!" I told him rolling my eyes."

"Oh and as to why she was here when mom died, Tifa came to comfort me so I wouldn't go off the bridge." Tifa said waving a hand in her dad's direction to try and pass off what she said as nothing important.

"Smooth Tifa." I told her rolling my eyes

"Whatever" she replied with a huff before making her way to the stairs. "If you're gonna force me to leave then I better pack. I'm guessing I'll be in Kalm for two years while you let Cloud simmer in the nut house." She called as she ran further up the stairs.

"...what just happened?" Mr. Lockhart asked. Looking at me in such a dazed and confused way that he forgot he was a little mad at me.

"Um, I won the argument and you and Tifa are going to Kalm?" I told him almost questioning what I was saying myself.

"Why?" he asked me simply with no indication of belief or non belief.

"Well, it would take too long to go into detail so ill just say it's a life or death situation."

"Right, what time to be ready by?" he asked seeming very calm for someone who had just been told to pack up his life and leave. I was leaning more towards a me- like reaction in him in the sense that I thought he would be shouting at everyone and waving his hands around. This was much easier than having to deal with myself.

"I need you ready and at the gates by nine at the most. I'm going to get a truck to take you to Costa del Sol so you can hide out on a boat over to Junon then I want you to go to Kalm. Don't stop at the Chocobo farm or Midgar, just go all the way to Kalm. Get a house to share and then stay together until I send you a message or come to find you." I told my dad walking up the stairs behind him still attempting to talk to him while he went to pack.

"And how is it that you know I'm going to die?" my father once again asked when we reached the top of the stairs both stopping outside of his room. I hid my hands behind me swinging on my feet for a minute before looking up to the man before me.

"I saw you dead, daddy. I got angry and tried to kill Sephiroth." I told him feeling like a child again with the way I was acting.

"Why did you call me 'daddy'?" he asked suspiciously looking down on me. Even at full height I was small compared to my father, even when he was at his oldest I knew him I wasn't that tall.

"Because that's who you are. I'm Tifa." I told him with a small smile anticipation accusing stares from Mr Lockhart.

"If you're Tifa what are you doing here all grown up?" Mr. Lockhart asked stubbornly

"I'm here to keep you alive for one thing." I reported back calmly to my father. The look on his face told me he didn't believe my story at all.

"And how could you get back here?" was the response I got.

"I'm magical." I replied sarcastically wiggling my fingers on extended arms right in Mr Lockhart's face (an: imagine Jack Sparrow at the end of stranger tides lol) watching as Mr. Lockhart shoved his clothes into a bag. "I got help from some friends in the Lifestream." I told him dropping my hands to my sides with an audible slap before walking to the doorway and looking into Tifa's room to see what she was packing. I saw miniskirts and short t-shirts and jackets fly into an open case. I let a small smile creep onto my face as I watched her pile the clothes in.

"So some friends helped you back here to look over yourself?"

"Like a guardian angel." I clarified for my father turning around to face him. "Unfortunately I have to go provoke Sephiroth." I told my father thinking that if I could get Sephiroth all riled up then the event would happen a few days earlier than it needed to.

"P-provoke Sephiroth? Do you have a death wish?" my father stuttered out at me.

"No I don't, and I might just wait until twelve to provoke him. It would be easier I think." I looked at my watch, where does time go? It was seven thirty.

"I need you by the gates in an hour and a half I'm going to talk to Cloud at the inn and maybe Zack too." I said leaving the room and my wide eyed jaw hanging father to go to the inn.

This was the point in time where I made the arrangements to get them all out of the town, courtesy of a nearby Chocobo and its master…

-hi ^.^ -

"Knock knock." I said knocking on the open door of the room Cloud and Zack where chatting in.

"How did you know where we were?" Cloud asked

"Tifa. Tour guide. Duh." I told Cloud rolling my eyes before smiling and shipping over to jump on the bed behind him hugging Cloud around the middle and resting my head on his shoulder.

"Girlfriend." He told me. Translation: get off.

"Boyfriend." Translation: don't care.

"Then what will you say when I tell him you were snuggling into my shoulder?" he told me back in a sickly sweet tone. Translation: wait a few years!

"Meh, he looks like you anyway." Translation: no, I don't wanna, it's just a hug.

"You can cuddle me..." Zack told me looking up with a puppy dog smile.

"Girlfriend." Both Cloud and I snapped at him. Zack rolled his eyes with a small laugh.

"Fine!" he said lying back on his bed. I got off Cloud after kissing his cheek lay back on Cloud's bed.

"So... I got your mom and Tifa's dad ready to leave." I told him watching Zack's ears prick like a puppy when he even caught a whiff of gossip.

"Why are they leaving?" Zack asked me almost immediately. I could almost see him wagging his tail with dog ears collar and tongue sticking out of his mouth. Zack the puppy.

"They're going on holiday for a few days. They'll be back by Sunday." I lied with a smile I knew Zack couldn't tell the difference.

_Wrong._

_Shut It, Zack._

"Oh, they're going now? I thought there were leaving tomorrow." Cloud said sadly. Translation: they're leaving?

"They leave in about an hour." I told the two remembering the conversation I had had with the Chocobo breeder a minute ago about using his Chocobo's to get the three people to Costa del Sol and then from Junon to Kalm.

"Wanna go see them?" I asked extending a hand in invitation.

"I'll… see them soon…" Cloud said sadly looking down to avoid all eye contact with Zack and myself. I sighed before walking up and placing a hand on Cloud's shoulder causing him to look up at me with his small sad look. That only I could read.

"You'll see them again before you know it." I told him with a small weak smile. I knew he would know me – younger me – well enough to know that it was my reassuring but not quite certain face. I'd already seen myself use it a few times while I was here.

"I guess…" Cloud added with a sigh before looking up with a hopeful look in his eyes. "Plus, I know you'll always be watching over them so nothing will happen that's that bad." Thy way Cloud said it made the words sound younger than his age as they slipped off his tongue.

"Of course I will always look after all of you, Cloud. You're like my baby brother here." I told him I had to add the 'here' or Zack would tease me relentlessly in my head about how Cloud was my 'brother'.

"Okay then, I think I'll be just fine." Cloud said with a small smile at me. I smiled back and leaned down to hug him and plant a kiss on the golden spikes on his head.

"This doesn't class as cheating on you partners does it?" the spiky hared man asked. I forgot he was here due to the fact he had been quiet for more than a minute to listen to what we were talking about.

"Zaaaack!" we both whined listening to him as he laugh at his own joke.

**Okay, I'm gonna finish it there for now. The next part will be the next chapter will be the next day because I don't feel like writing out the incident. And besides we all know what happened. Ill give a little note of the changes but seriously I don't wanna write the stupid 'sephy in fire' scene.**

**Anyway, Emza out.**

**Ps: Hi from Ruth.**


	6. The day I rescued you from Hojo P1

The day I rescued you from Hojo's experiments p1

**Heres part one of this chapter! Hope you like it! Hojo is a little over the top but oh well**

I looked at the ground that swirled around my feet. I could feel Zack behind me as he breathed on my neck.

"Better hurry and save me! You promised Cloud and Tifa! Hell, you even promised me!" Zack chirped in my ear as I found myself in a now very burned Nibelheim. I still couldn't believe I couldn't stop Sephiroth. I was just glad both Cloud's mother and my father got out of town and are hiding in Klam with Tifa. Where I sent them all off riding each on a Chocobo's back.

Cloud and Zack had been taken by Hojo. I was scared for them but I knew it had to happen to make them strong. I had only been there to watch and land a few kicks on Sephiroth to help Zack before he was hurt. I was pulled back by ghost Zack who wouldn't let me do something that could potentially get me killed. So he held me back while I struggled to help Cloud.

I could never forget the look of pain in his eyes as he was stabbed. When he looked at me his eyes said 'this can't be how I die, can it?' I felt so sorry for him as I was dragged back further unable to help anymore with anything.

It was after an hour or two of watching that I ended up here, in this time. I was in my burned down little town where piles of old ash stood and piles of new wood were being made. At one side of town the inn stood tall like it had never been burned whie in the middle the water tower was being rebuilt and was almost halfway done. This must be when they were re-building Nibelheim.

From what Cloud had told me he had spent five years in the basement of the mansion I was facing now. This was the only thing still standing in Nibelheim and the only thing that had survived the fire, the fire that would be covered for within the year.

I had gone out to the nearest town just to get transport and gas. I had a rusty old truck I had picked up with enough room in the back for Zack and Cloud in the back with a large tarp over the bed of the truck so they could hide while I was with them. I hoped I could smuggle them far enough away before the army caught up to them.

After I got it I took the rust bucket back to the town entrance and pulled a tarp over the back where I was hiding extra petrol cans to top us up on the way to Kalm. Yes, I was taking them to where Tifa and the two parents where for now because I knew Midgar would be crawling with SOLDIER's that would want to find Zack and Cloud.

I sighed as I kicked in the rusty gate of the mansion checking the items in my pocket so I knew I had everything. I had a small knife, a cure Materia new clothes for both men and a couple of other glowing Materia just to be on the safe side. On the way down to the lab where I knew Hojo the boys were I went to find the coffin I knew Vincent was in. the door was still open now meaning that he was either only recently put in there on Hojo was still experimenting on Vincent. The thought made me shiver.

"Vincent!" I shouted banging on the coffin lid. When I got no reply I tried again only to hear groaning from inside the coffin. I shrugged leaving the room to go out into the lab I knew the boys would be kept in. if I kept to the plan to burn this place with Hojo inside then I would need to get Vincent out sometime in the future, now wasn't the right time though. I needed to get to Cloud and Zack.

On entry to the lab a putrid smell hit my nose. The sound of screams and bubbles through liquid could be hear over the smell of rotting and burning flesh. The whole area was metal with only three tubes for the experiments to reside in. All three were filled: one with Cloud, one with Zack and one with a child I was sure I used to like in the village.

Anger bubbled inside of me at the thought of Hojo using my village as experimental meat. The child looked like it had been burned in the fire and was now slowly rotting away. I could see half the child's skull through the rotting flash that seemed to be falling away into the Mako and breaking into smaller pieces of stuff. The child looked like something out of a horror movie, stripped of all clothes as well as flesh in some parts of its body.

I saw the blood that had dried onto the blue, green and grey skin of the child and the tube stuck into the back of its neck. Hojo must be working on resurrection...

The tough almost made me sick, the thought of the child's screams as she burned alive and the way Hojo could bring her back then kill the small body again to see if the cure would work again. This could be seen by the little scars on the child's wrist and neck. The child was unrecognizable I couldn't even tell if it was male or female. It was branded with a 11 on the side of it's face.

"Ti...Ti...fa..." a low voice whispered from one of the green hued tubes. I looked to the child first noting how still it was and how brittle what was left of its skin looked. Next I looked to Cloud. The male was still in his old infantry clothes from when I saw him 2 years ago and was completely still, however not dead looking like the sadly burned child. Lastly I looked to Zack. Zack was reaching a hand out toward the glass with his eyes open and staring at me.

"Zack." I whispered walking to the tank of the older man. Zack would be twenty now and Cloud seventeen. They didn't deserve this. I felt a tear run down my eye as I looked at Zack then back to Cloud. They were both wearing oxygen mask-like things that the burned child didn't have the privilege to wear.

I placed my hand to the glass of Zack's tube noting how his hand would've come into contact with mine if the glass hadn't been there. I sighed and pressed a small kiss to the glass where Zack got tired and rested his head.

"I'm going to get you out." I told the boy looking next to the tank to a set of switches that resided there. I flicked several switches before I noticed one labelled 'Drain Mako' after clicking the button on Zack's I ran over and did the same to Cloud's.

"Better be strong boys." I whispered as they both fell to the bottom of their tubes. "We're taking on the whole army soon." I added before flicking the door switches.

"Tia!" Zack called walking over with a small limp to hug me. I saw blood flowing from his leg where he must've been experimented on.

"Do you remember how you got that?" I asked Zack softly pressing a hand to wound watching the man before me wince in pain.

"Hojo... sliced open my leg... see if it... would... heal quicker than SOLDIER's wounds would heal." Zack wheezed at me clutching the leg and breathing deeply through his dry chapped lips.

"Now deep?" I asked looking at the wound that was trying to force itself to close.

"Scraped… bone." Zack gasped as I wiped my fingers across the wound to see if it was just blood. The angry red and pink line shoed it wasn't just blood, the wound was trying to heal away from the sting of the Mako on an open wound.

"Zack, relax for a minute, you need to conserve your energy." I told him pulling him close before looking over his shoulder at Cloud. Cloud could wait a few minutes, he looked dead as it was so I doubt he woud change anytime soon from that state

"I'm going to cure you." I told him watching his face light up before the sound of footsteps could be heard.

"_Well specimen A will either be healed or not by now, if he was better strength than SOLDIER he will be healed anyway..." _

I heard Hojo's slimy voice from where I sat watching even the unconscious Cloud tense at the sound of the voice.

"Cure." I whispered quickly watching Zack's leg heal over in fascination until it was only a pink silvery line of a scar left. I heard Zack let out a breath in relief and looked up gauging his expression before urging him up. "I need you to sneak over to the door, check outside and then I want you to go into the door with the coffins and open the one that makes a noise like someone's sleeping in there. Drag the guy out, we'll need him later." I told Zack quickly looking over at Cloud without giving Zack a window to answer.

"So find the vampire / dead guy and take him outta here. Okay and I gotta do this while people are looking for me? No sweat I can do it." Zack pep-talked himself out loud. I made a gesture for him to leave before Hojo came in and watched as Zack gave me a salute and slipped out of the door like a shadow.

"Cloud? Wake up, we have to go." I whispered into the ear of the blonde boy.

"Uhh" was the only response I got before I tugged Cloud up into my arms and made my way to the door.

"_Now, today we need to do the same treatment on specimen B as we did specimen A to see if he is more susceptible to the Mako and Jenova cells and if he heals faster than specimen A"_

Hojo's voice sounded closer and I could hear Cloud whimpering lowly in my ear. I tried to shush him but it didn't work so I waited behind the door wit a hand over the blonde cadet's mouth until the greasy figure of the mad scientist walked into the room.

"WHERE ARE MY EXPERIMENTS?" he roared upon reaching the Mako tubes. His short sightedness must've meant he couldn't see the men in the tanks from far away. I choose this moment to slip out of the room unnoticed as all the men who walked in with Hojo. All of them tried to appease him with excuses of where the experiments could be and how each of them would try their best to find the two and punish whoever touched them and how all the men in the room were oh so innocent of even looking at the experiments when they were on guard of them.

One thing I learned just then: never anger Hojo.

Hojo whipped round towards one of the men scalpel in hand and pressed it to his neck. "You were meant to be watching them." Hojo hissed menacingly like a beast about to pounce on its scared victim.

"Sir! I was! There were here when I came to get you!" the man tried hoping he would do enough to quell the rage of his boss.

"Well since you lost them, you can take their places!" Hojo growled almost like an animal. I couldn't look at the scene anymore; I turned and walked away with Cloud in my arms like a sleeping child wile I heard the scream of the man and a sound of a blooded scalpel hitting the floor followed by the think dripping sound of blood on the concrete floor and the thump as a body hit the floor.

-^.^-

"Zack!" I whisper-called as we made it outside. I saw him standing in the shadowed bushes of the mansion with Vincent Valentine pressed into the wall next to him looking just as young as when we met him but with shorter more tamed hair.

"I'm over here!" he whispered back at me pulling me into the bush with him. Zack looked left and right before speaking. "We need to find a way away from here, Hojo will already be looking for us and there will be SOLDIERs all over town." Zack told me hoping to talk strategy with me now.

"We only need to make it far enough away to lose the army stationed here." Vincent chipped in. His voice was the same as I remembered it.

"I have a truck just outside of town to get us to Kalm." I told the men. Each of them looked at me.

"What's in Kalm?" Zack asked. While I saw the look of Vincent's face that showed he was calculating the time and distance along with fuel needed to get there.

"Cloud's mom and girlfriend are in Kalm." I told Zack watching as Cloud lifted his head a little off my shoulder to mutter quietly.

"Tifa..." he cooed in a whisper before he held on and started to hug me tighter.

"I'm here Cloud, I'll take you to our families and you can be with me and eventually go back to Midgar where you can meet the people Zack always talks about and be whoever you want to be." I told the sleeping boy stroking his wet hair. I heard Cloud sigh contently

"Don't leave." He told me softly before he fell back into his sleep-like state.

"I won't." I told him before turning to the other two. "I'm going to take Cloud to the Inn to change him. You need to get changed too Zack." I said handing out some folded clothes from my backpack. I looked up at Vincent.

"I'll get changed here when you leave." I heard Zack reply as he moved away with the ruffle of the bushes surrounding the mansion.

"I forgot some for you, Vincent." I told him noting he was in his Turk uniform still. "Well, at least you don't have that god awful red cape and your hair is shorter than I expected from four less years of knowing you. You can just pretend to still be a Turk." I told Vincent watching his one eyebrow raise at the mention of the Turks. "Meet me at the brown truck outside of Nibelheim in 20 minutes."

"How did you know who I was?" Vincent asked. He was following me to the inn.

"Future…" Cloud whispered seemingly aware of the conversations around him more than anyone in a coma should be. I wonder how Cloud's state of consciousness could be described, unable to move or speak however able to understand everything in his head and try to comment.

"What does he mean?" Vincent asked understanding just as I had that Cloud could understand us.

"Oh. I'm from the future."I said with a smile hoping he would take the truth as a joke.

"Heh." Vincent said in a half twisted version of a laugh. "Future? if you're from the future then what do I look like?" at least the Turk still seemed to have some sense of humour.

"Oh wild black hair, red eyes, long ripped red tablecloth cape and -um….- big golden pointy shoes." I told him with a smirk pointing to the floor and my scuffed black converse shoes. _He probably thinks I'm joking_, the pause made it seem like I was thinking of something to say...

"Heh, right" Vincent said following after Zack's lead towards where the truck was. I told them not to go out together because it would look a bit weird.

Zack was wearing a pair of baggy jeans I had given to him along with a shirt with tour dates for a band called '30 Seconds To Mars' written on the back while a picture of the band could be seen on the front he wore a cap over his spiky hair covering it with a small picture of an early drawing of the cartoon character Mickey Mouse on the front. The text on the back read 'plain crazy' he wore his old boots under the too long jeans that hung down and dragged on the floor which looked uncomfortable at best.

"Time to get you ready to go."I told Cloud shifting his weight in my arms to get a better hold on him before walking into the newly just- build inn. Nobody was in here to man the desk; the building didn't even have any furniture. The only thing in the inn was a dead potted plant.

I went upstairs to change Cloud in one of the other rooms for guests who came across this town but also mostly for SOLDIER's who were sent to the backwater town of Nibelheim.

I dressed Cloud in a plain blue t-shirt and a black hoodie with greyish horizontal stripes all along the material. It didn't seem to fit Cloud properly like it did two years ago. I knew he had lost a lot of weight.

It made me wonder if Zack just had clothes that were too small or if he had found something to tie his pants around his middle with. Then I remembered I had given him a pair of skinny jeans that the dead version of Zack had told me were his size. His jeans were supposed to be the tightest –and hardest to get on and off- type of jeans and they were baggy on him… he must've lost a lot of weight for that to be true.

I got my mid back to the present when I head Cloud whimper in my arms as I gripped him a bit too hard.

"Sorry buddy." I said softly before easing Cloud into a sitting position.

I dressed Cloud is some dark blue skinny jeans I had found a size smaller – I anticipated the weight loss- than his Normal size. Even the smaller jeans were loose on the small blonde. I had a pair of converse and socks with me to change him out of the boots he wore in an attempt to get all the Mako off him quickly just in case it affected his health more.

"Tifa?" I heard Cloud rasp out reaching an arm in my direction as I moved over to discard Cloud's soaked uniform in a pile in the corner of the room.

"Hm?" I asked turning trying to not act too enthusiastic that he was talking; I knew that it wouldn't last for long if he kept trying to talk.

"You… came… back…" he choked out in staggered breaths. I asked up to Cloud's side and sat slumped against a wall just as he was.

"Well, I did promise to save you didn't I? I promised Zack too. I had to come back anyway." I told the boy who looked unbelievably small in my arms right now as I hugged hum tightly.

"We… see… Tifa?" came another staggered breathy whisper.

"Yes." I answered picking up Cloud and placing a hat over his hair before walking out of the inn. I heard Cloud sigh in happiness as I walked him out into the cold sunlight.

"HALT!" a voice called as I left the inn. I heard the gang of men before I saw them. It was at that point I knew that we were done; everything was over for Cloud if I couldn't get rid of these SOLDIER's!

I heard Cloud whimper again in my arms as I braced myself for the worst.

**Part two coming soon!**


	7. The day I rescued you from Hojo P2

**Sorry it took so long, busy with college and I had the worst writers block ever, so here it is. **

The day I rescued you from Hojo's experiments p2

"Yes?" I asked holding Cloud closer to me and hearing him while at the voice f the SOLDIER. The man looked at me under his helmet. He was the only man in SOLDIER that I had seen who wore a helmet; most people didn't want to get their hair messy and wanted to be known. **(Any guesses who it is yet? ;)) **the purple of his uniform showed his second class status.

Glad they didn't find Zack and Cloud threats.

"We are looking for two test subjects. Here are their pictures." The SOLDIER asked handing me pictures of Zack and Cloud in my one hand while I placed Cloud leaning against the wall of the inn. All I could think was _damn these SOLDIER's got here fast!_

"I haven't seen those two around here." I said innocently trying to block Cloud from the view of the other men.

"Knusel…" Cloud murmured. I turned to him startled while the soldiers all placed hands on their swords in ready positions.

"Zack… friend." He rasped as the SOLDIER knelt before him examining the boy in casual clothes.

"Who me?" asked the kneeling man.

"Kunsel" Cloud confirmed pointing a shaky hand at the man in purple. The hand floppd straight back down after he spoke.

"Huh." the SOLDIER rubbed his hidden chin. The noise his glove made when in contact with his skin suggested a stubbly chin. "And who's this little guy?" the man –Kunsel- asked me motioning to Cloud as he got back up.

"Cole." I said after a little remembrance as to what I had told Zack my 'boyfriend' was called "Cole Strife." I added making the name sound more like his instead of one that had been pulled out of the blue.

"Cole Strife? Does he have any siblings?" I knew he was questioning us about Cloud and our knowledge of Zack. They were the two who they wanted after all.

"He has a brother. But he disappeared a few years ago." I said honestly looking down at Cloud to see his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Why is Cole like this?" a different SOLDIER asked motioning to the slumped over form of the small blonde. The new speaker was a lower class, third at highest.

"Well, he told me he got a message off his brother Cloud telling him that he was in the Nibel mountains and if we went up to the peak of the mountain then we would find Cloud." I explained off the top of my head hoping I could keep the story in my head.

"What happened?" Kunsel asked completely engrossed in the story I was telling.

"When we got just into the mountains Cole slipped and hurt his ankle so we were pretty slow going up the mountain. When we got to about halfway Cole's ankle gave out and he fell into a pool of Mako." I stopped as I looked at the reactions. I saw some raised eyebrows and some faces of belief.

"I knew I couldn't get into the Mako because I have bad tolerance - my mother used to take me to the river up at the top of town that has a Mako leak near it- so I used a stick and some vine I found to fish him out. It took me half an hour and when I got him out he was like this. We were in the inn so I could change his clothes to get the Mako off so I didn't have to walk carting his Mako soaked clothes as well as him." I finished, taking a breath and calming myself as I tried to collect story pieces in my head.

"Why were you in Nielheim in the first place?" Kunsel asked in actual curiosity. He seemed really nice.

"Like I said Cole got a message off Cloud, we came to see if we could find him." I told the SOLDIER before picking up Cloud by the arm and listing him to a slouching stand.

"Can we please leave? I need to get Cole some medical attention." I said as I started to walk away.

"Wait!" Kunsel called holding out an arm to me. I stopped and looked back at him trying to act calm. "I need your PHS number so I can keep in touch if I need to." he told me holding out a hand to me. He didn't seem to have any hostile thoughts or intentions towards us so I went over and placed my phone in his hand.

"You input yours I'll input mine." I told him holding out a hand for the PHS I knew SOLDIER's kept on tem 24/7 in case they had to call for help or were getting help from an overhead helicopter or something. Kunsel hesitated before handing me his blue phone. I flipped it open and went t contacts seeing that he had many contacts. I placed my number into the folder off contacts called 'work' having no time to snoop around in Kunsel's contacts as he snatched the phone away quickly replacing his with mine.

"Have a nice day ma'am." Was all he said as he tipped his helmet as if it was a hat and walked over to the Mansion. The other soldiers followed him.

I let out a sigh of relief as I watched him leave. When he was out of sight I ran to the van placing Cloud into the bed of the truck and scurrying to the front. Zak sat with Vincent like a puppy trying his luck getting to ride in the front seat.

Well if he was going to act like a puppy….

"Zack, back." I told him throwing back my thumb to point at the truck. "Go with Cloud so you can be hidden." I added pulling in out of the truck by one of his arms that was currently half raised as he shrugged at me. I heard him yelp as I pulled him out and took in seat in the truck. I noticed Vincent smirking next to me.

I head Zack grumbling as he jumped into the back of the truck shuffling and talking to Cloud.

"_I hope the driver is a good one, eh Cloudy? We don't want to be bumping around like a pair of luggage cases."_

I smiled as I watched Vincent start up the truck. "To Kalm right?" he asked in his same deep voice as when he was older.

"Hmm" I agreed with a nod and a smile as I watched the truck pull out of the space we had parked into going fast enough that Neibelheim was a speck behind us within a matter of minutes. The big open dirt roads where the best sight my eyes had seen n a while. Being back in Neibelheim had made me feel a little bit enclosed again. I was looking forward to being able to be back out in the green that I hadn't seen in over 2 years. The last outing I had even on had been when I had gone to Kalm for supplies because Cloud had been ill with the flu –his immune system was surprisingly medium for someone who had survived Geostigma.

"The greenery will be nice, wouldn't it Miss Lockhart?" Vincent asked quietly.

I smiled but accepted the fact he called me Miss Lockhart. I knew Cloud and Zack knew about my married status but only the people who were in Klam now knew all about me.

"The greenery would be excellent Vincent, besides, completing this mission means I'm one step closer to going home." I told him with a smile as I looked out the window and heard the idle chat that Zack was spitting at Cloud.

"Home?" he asked

"Yes, I just need to go to Midgar in two years and save a few people. Then I will b able to go home." I stopped for a minute looking out the window at the passing dirt. "I wonder what home would be like then?" I wondered out loud in a mumble. I knew my mutter was picked up by Vincent by his super hearing. He didn't say anything.

"What are you going to do when we get to Kalm?" I asked him looking over to the man who had now gone silent next to me.

"I... think I want to be the one to finish off Hojo. I want to do it, before Zack and Cloud are well enough to." Vincent told me hesitantly. I could tell he wasn't used to sharing his feeling and opening up to people from the expression on his face.

"You don't open up to people much do you?" I asked looking forward as I did.

"I've never felt the need to. I was born in Midgar and lived there with my parents until I joined the…Turks." I heard the stop in Vincent's voice he didn't want to say anything else so I left him in his silence.

-^.^-

When it was time for me to disappear we had passed Corel and where right in the middle of them and Costa Del Sol. We were stopped for a break when the alarm in my head went off telling me I didn't have long left.

"Guys, it's time for me to go." I told the men all shaded by the bushes and trees we were hiding under.

"Tia, you can't go yet! Tifa hasn't seen you; Cloud isn't awake yet!" Zack exclaimed.

I smiled as I looked at Zack.

"I didn't intend of seeing Tifa and I knew Cloud wouldn't be coherent enough to actually acknowledge my presence. The good thing is that I got my main goals for today done." I told them as I felt the presence of Angel next to me shimmering like glitter in the air.

"What would they be?" Zack asked me curiously positioning Cloud so he was balanced up the side of a flat rock.

"Well, I shouldn't really tell you…" I said to Zack knowing Angeal was going to have a hissy fit if I told Zack while Angeal was there. I'm sure Angeal had made up some rule meaning I couldn't tell people why I was here.

"Didn't stop you before." I heard Cloud mutter out at me before he fell silent beside us.

"Yes but that was because before the ghost of Zack was watching to make sure I didn't break the rules. Let's face it Zack's a pushover." I told Cloud noticing the confusion on both Zack and Vincent's faces. I continued speaking to Cloud only.

"Now Angeal is watching me, he is a lot stricter than Zack and older. Plus you may already know but he is all about honour and keeping people safe.

_What does me being older have to do with this?_ I heard Angeal grumble from next to me. I looked to Zack to see eyes as wide as golf balls.

"Angeal?" he asked

_Now you've done it._ Angeal told me. I watched as Zack's eyes went misty.

"Zack's ghost… in Zack?" Cloud asked. I made a noise of affirmation towards Cloud noticing that the 'Zack's ghost' part of the sentence finally sunk into Zack's brain.

"My 2 main goals today, Zack, where to get you and Cloud out of that lab and to get you on the right track so you were safe." I told him hearing Angeal grumbling a bit next to me because I told his pupil that he would've died – in a way Angeal understood as that anyway.

"Safe?" Zack questioned he didn't seem to understand what I was saying.

"I believe she means safe from the grave." Vincent said bluntly. He didn't sugar coat anything. I knew it had clicked in Vincent's head and Cloud's non-responding head. Only Zack denied what I had said.

"I was suppost to…die?" Zack asked looking at me with wide eyes and a scared expression.

_Those wings… I want them too…_ the sentence fluttered into my head and I looked over to Angeal's sparkles – he wasn't fully there yet-

_Zack's last thoughts. _Angeal told me with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Zack, you were killed by Shinra." I told him feeling something swirling around my legs. I looked down and saw the mist around me that seemed to be making my body disappear as it travelled up my body. I gritted my teeth together to keep from yelling at Angeal.

"Well, sorry for the short notice but I think that I'm going to leave. Vincent Do what you need to do. I'll be in Midgar in a couple of years residing in Sector Seven. You can look for me there if you need me." I told the Turk with a smile.

"Zack, Take care of Cloud, as soon as you get him to Klam, take him to his mother and tell Tifa I said hi." I said with a light smile. I noticed Zack's eyes travel to my legs now engulfed in the strange mist and disappearing before his eyes, Zack's eyes widened.

"When you say you have to go…?" Zack asked I just smiled at him.

The mist was now swirling around my elbows.

"I mean that I'll see you in a few years, when Cloud is recovered take him and Tifa to Midgar. Go to Sector Seven and see if you can claim ownership of the bar 'Seventh Heaven'. Do it as nicely as possible please…" I told him looking over to Cloud who was sitting with Zack's sword next to him.

"Make sure you run the bar there and make sure that you invite anyone in, if a man called Barret comes into the bar, speak to him, don't be shy and don't hide unless Shinra comes." I told them. I moved over – no idea how I did- and kissed Cloud on the forehead.

"I'll see you in a few days. " I told him with a smile. I heard the small mumble of 'Tifa' before the rest of me faded into the mist as well.

_Goodbye for now, be safe…_ I heard my voice carry over the wind to them as I was swept into a white world for a minute. There, I saw Angeal.

He gave me a half smile as I walked towards me but the smile stopped after a few seconds returning the man to his normal cool expression.

**Sorry, it's a bit sort and itr was a long wait but ive been working on something new that I really enjoy writing, the one thing is it has a few too many of my own characters so people probably wouldn't like it, tell me what you would think of a story with many of my own characters.**


	8. Bonus chapter: Vincent Valentine

**I am soooo soooo sorry! I completely forgot this fic existed. Well anyway, I realized there are 3 chaps left at best so I will finish it soon.**

**However I have exams for a few weeks now so I'm not writing anything for a little while until they are done. Mostly because they are important, my A-levels. Okay, so here's a bonus chapter centering on Vincent because I forgot about Sephiroth and decided Hojo needed to die to keep my inner evil happy. If there are any mistakes ignore them my school keyboard is crap.**

**Ok so… here's some info you many need:**

**Voices:**

_This is the voice of chaos_

_This is the inner voice of Vincent_

**This is Gallian beast**

This is nightmare

**Here we go!**

A lone male stood above the city of Midgar on top of a large fallen building. He looked at the Shinra HQ which stood proud above the city like a poison covered thorn that infected the surrounding city with death.

From where the male stood he could see the whole of the towering building. He could see president Shinra standing at the window giving a rather large monologue to his son –who was looking at himself in a mirror while a woman worked on buffering his nails. He could see scientists flittering around in the research rooms with lab coats and clipboards –each focused on a different caged creature, Vincent hoped none were human. He could see the offices of the newly appointed heads of SOLDIER and the army. He could even see the part of the tower with the large gym and yoga area.

The man flicked his newly-found long red cape out from his side making it fly like a crimson flag in the wind.

_Remember: Hojo is only here for a few days. You need to get in, kill him and get out._ A voice thought in the head of the red eyed man.

_Right… _Vincent replied in his head nodding to the voice showing his respect for the demon inside him. Even If he didn't like his body being crowded with other beings he was used to it by now.

Vincent jumped down from the fallen building landing on his feet with little effort.

_**Don't let the civilians see you either. **_Another of the demons inside of Vincent told him in a growl. Gallian beast had a tendency to always growl in Vincent's head and he only spoke after one of the other demons had. This time he obviously took his lead from Chaos.

Yeah. They will wonder who you are. One of the other demons called before the voices in Vincent's head went silent.

Vincent hopped from building to building and eventually let Chaos out of his body to fly up to the top of the Shinra building so he could get in more or less undetected. Vincent was silently watching through the eyes chaos had overtook while he was transported into the Shinra building and then down the stairs into the science floor almost undetected by anyone. Even the president seemed to be out of his office as Chaos flew through.

_Thanks. _Vincent thought as Chaos was stripped away from the outside of his body so the black haired gun wielder was once again visible. Vincent felt his books click of the floor as he walked towards Hojo's prized possessions. Inside a tank sat a red dog-ish cat-ish-like thing with 13 burned into his leg in roman numerals. The creature bled from one of his eye sockets and seemed to whimper in what could only be described as a nightmarish drug induced sleep.

Vincent felt a tug on his almost non-existent heart strings, something was telling him to release the animal to put it out of its misery

_Don't be so weak hearted. We can come back after the mission is complete_

**Mission first. Complete the mission!** Gallian beast added with a grunt. He agreed fully with Chaos that Hojo's death was more important.

_I know my priorities._ Vincent shot back in the demon's faces. He paced for a second before nodding to himself and making his ay towards the main science testing area. A woman stood there looking away from him but she turned as soon as she heard his footsteps.

"I'm sorry! Authorized personnel only!" she said clipboard in hand with a small smile on her face. Even if Vincent wore the uniform of a Turk he didn't look much like one anymore. Vincent pulled a gun from behind his cape with a small smug smile he pointed it at the small shivering lab assistant.

"I have a gun, it's enough authorization. Wouldn't you agree?" he said in the smooth voice of a criminal. He felt as if this had been something he had done in the past before realizing how crazy that sounded.

"I-I can't let you pass…" she repeated with a stutter, she hoped this was some kind of sick joke or some test of Hojo's to see if she could keep his experiments intact. "Professor Hojo is b-busy." she added in a shaky voice hold her clipboard to her face.

"Fine." Vincent said before a shot was fired. He was kind- he shot her in the head so she wouldn't feel anything. Her dead lifeless eyes started out at Vincent causing him to feel some remorse for the innocent life before realizing she could have been one of the people working on him at some point. In his mind all the lab techs needed to die.

_Good call on killing her, I wouldn't have been as kind._

**If he wasn't as kind the girl could've screamed and alerted everyone to our presence.**

We know you like to torture but that would just ruin plans. Nightmare added as he agreed with Gallian. Vincent agrees with neither side, he pressed on to the room Hojo was in.

Upstairs, he saw a room with two flickering shadows. He could tell one was Hojo from the rather excited hand gestures. Before charging in Vincent grabbed six vials of different liquids that had been left around by the newly dead lab assistant. Looks like she was the only one working today and now she was lying outside with a hole in her head nobody would interrupt them. Vincent heard Chaos give a small malicious chuckle in his head about the thought of the very dead girl lying outside. He was thinking of new ways that they could've killed the girl. Vincent growled and shook his head to get rid of the images.

**Chaos, let's get Hojo dead before you try and think of the next innocent woman you want to kill. **Gallian murmured before Vincent grunted in agreement and made his way up the stairs

"It's perfect!" Vincent heard him exclaim as the caped man got closer. "You have come back to me my son!" Hojo added causing Vincent's eyes to widen as h realized the other person in there was Sephiroth.

He was quiet as he heard another voice speak. "I wanted to know why you kept mother away from me." Was all Sephiroth said with a rough sigh of regret. A puzzled Vincent saw him massage his eyebrows before standing and looking at Hojo.

"I think I'll teach you a lesson on not trying to hide things from a god." He announced with a growl.

Vincent though this was a good time to intervene. He opened the door and shot into the inside of the room. A surprised noise left Sephiroth's lips before Vincent realized he had managed to shoot him in the stomach and had shot Hojo in the chest. Sephiroth healed quickly before attacking Vincent.

The battle was long while Hojo sat on the floor forgotten and still. Vincent remembered the experimental drugs and loaded one into his gun to shoot it into Sephiroth. Out of the six he glowing vials he had taken only three made it into Sephiroth's skin. When the drugs made their way into the silver haired Warrior's blood his eyes grew wide he dropped to the floor with a clatter as he armor hit the tiles.

Sephiroth growled before his breathing became shallow and gruff.

"I can't die from these drugs, I am too strong." He rasped. The way his body was convulsing showed his statement false.

"Goodnight, Lucretcia's child." Vincent said as he walked out of the room to a violent screech of pan before he was met with the silence of an empty room; one devoid of life.

With a smirk he walked back down the stairs to try and save the monsters that had been imprisoned in cages. He noticed most were already too far gone and mad all except from experiment 13.

The freed experiment looked up at Vincent with human eyes.

"Hello, I am Nanaki. However you can also call me Red XII." The creature said in a human voice. He bowed to Vincent casing the older man to raise an eyebrow.

"I am Vincent Valentine." Vincent said looking at the animal "Hojo is dead, you're free." Vincent added in a gruff voice. The creature was surprised however he nodded to Vincent before bowing once again

"forgive me Vincent Valentine, I have no place to go, may I join you in whatever quest you may be going on next?" Vincent turned without answering the creature.

"I'm going to visit some friends." He said walking out. "You can come if you wish." He told the creature as he was followed out.

The two headed for Kalm where Vincent visited the Lockhart's and Strife's. Everyone was relieved as he told his story mostly cloud who was massaging a spot on his chest that everyone in the room knew held a scar.

The room as peaceful and when Vincent left he left Red as a 'pet' to look over Tifa and Cloud before he left on a journey of his own to try and help those he could and look for Lucretcia, his lost love.


	9. The Day The Plate Fell P1

**Okay I lied I already had this finished on my computer. No time to spell check but here is the last one before I go completely offline for a few weeks.**

**Peace out**

**The Day The Plate Fell Above Our Heads P1**

"Last day." Angeal said when I reached him

"So Zack can't be here?" I asked ignoring Angeal's statement as if we were already in the middle of this conversation.

"He's alive; he can no longer be here." Angeal almost sounded sad at the fact Zack was alive, that's when I realized why he was sad.

"You're going to miss him." I stated not even looking to see if I was correct because I knew I was.

"That is none of your concern." the SOLDIER standing before me growled. His upset face was now hidden, a mask had been fitted into its place of the war-aged man's face.

"Complete today and see if you want to keep the outcome." was all Angeal grunted before leaving. I looked around trying to see where I was. Children ran past me and men all walked with a stagger as they came from a bar.

"Aerith, come on! Slow down!" I heard a male call. I heard a giggle as the girl ran past me.

"I'm winning, Zack!" she sang with a giggle speeding up so her hair lashed out behind her.

"Yo! Porcupine butt! You still owe me!" I shouted running after the couple. Zack immediately turned to look at me with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"I know, I know, look I'm working shifts like you asked, just let me have time with Aerith, Teef!" Zack said on reflex. I giggled watching as he stiffened but still didn't turn to me. I walked over in a bouncy pace moving to stand in front of the immobile man who was shocked to see me.

Within ten seconds I was enveloped I go a bear hug courtesy of Zackary Fair.

"I thought I'd never see my savior again!" he called dramatically making Aerith give us questioning glances.

"Hi Aerith." I asked with a pang of sadness as I looked at my long dead friends face. "Can you listen to the planet right now for me?" I asked wondering if she could perform such a feat when asked when she seemed to take her time when doing so when I met her in my lie.

"No, what do you mean? Who are you?" the girl asked confused. I blinked at her for a minute confused at her statement. Before long I regained my smile and spoke again.

"I'm Tia and I'm here because tomorrow Midgar's plate is going to fall killing millions of people including Jesse, Biggs and Wedge." I told her almost forgetting she may not know the three by name yet. Aerith looked at me confused for a second before the information hit Zack and he gasped.

"T-T-Tia! You saved mine and Cloud's lives!" he gasped looking like he had seen a ghost.

"I thought we just went through this!" I sighed rolling my eyes.

"I thought you were Tifa! You two are so much alike!" he strutted throwing out his arms in a surrender gesture.

"Then why did you call me your savior?" I asked looking at Zack confused.

"It's his own personal joke with her," Aerith told me with a small smile. "He calls Tifa his savior because she looks exactly like the person who did save him." Aerith explained for me. I smiled and nodded in understanding.

"You look just like Tifa, your eyes are so alike" Aerith said staring at me.

"Were alike because I AM Tifa, just... Older Tifa." I told them shrugging and making my way to Seventh Heaven.

"Older Tifa?" Aerith asked looking me up and down before walking after me.

"Twenty five to be exact." I told her looking back before entering the bar.

"Then why didn't you say Tifa instead of Tia in the first place?" Aerith asked curiously as we walked into Seventh Heaven. She didn't sound frustrated or annoyed at me, just curious to why I had chosen the name I did.

"It's to try and hide my identity." I told her happily hearing Zack make a noise of disapproval next to me.

"You tell everyone I the end."

"Shut it Zack." I said to him

"I'm just saying _Tia_, Tifa isn't a common name so you changed it. I get that, but what is the point when you just tell everyone you're Tifa anyway?" Zack seemed genuinely confused I smiled at him before hearing a voice from behind me.

"Who just said Tia and Tifa in the same sentence?" a voice asked from behind the counter. I could see the almost reflection of my younger self behind the bar doing the same thing i did every night; wipe the cloth around the bar.

"That would've been these two. Why Tifa anxious to see my beautiful face again?" I asked smiling cockily at my younger self. She smiled back; a mirror image of me from my past.

"Naw, I just like to know when I'm going to die." A smiling reflection of my younger self told me with a wink. The girl stood before me looking to the pinball machine I knew lead to the hideout. "Cloud! Your wife's here!" Tifa shouted with a giggle. I heard Zack snicker behind us.

"So how are you and Cloud?" I asked stifling my own giggle when I heard Barret shouting at Cloud about not telling anyone about his wife. "Obviously still joking around like kids." I snickered.

"Hey! We are in our twenties, we deserve to be kids." She told me with a smile and her stubborn folded arms.

"I'm in my twenties too and I HAVE kids." I told her with a smile mirroring her stance.

Ignoring my last comment Tifa continued. "Going back to your question, we're good, but we don't really know what's going to happen yet so we are just trying to stay together through all the madness. Barrett is always going on about how we should get a room because 'Marlene shouldn't have to watch this stuff' and Jesse and Biggs are always saying how much of a good couple we make." a sweet smile replaced the cocky one on the young girls face. She leaned over so she was leaning on the bar before sighing and sinking deep into thought.

"Don't worry, things will be fine, everyone should be fine from here, just get Sephiroth and you can all be safe and happy again." I told her remembering their original plan was to take down Shinra.

At that moment all hell broke loose. Barrett and Cloud made their way up while Jesse, Biggs and Wedge all entered the bar making the place seem crowded beyond personal space.

"Wife? Tifa you know how Barrett is!" was the first noise to reach my ears before the shouts of 'Cloud's married?' and 'How could he do that to Tifa!' filled the room.

"Hi Cloud! Remember me?" I said intertwining my hands behind my back and leaning forward in a swaying motion. I saw all eyes shoot from me to the now wide eyed Cloud to the giggling Tifa behind me.

"Tia!" Cloud called happily when he snapped out of his daze. Almost as soon as he spoke voices crowned on again about how double crossing Cloud was. Cloud skipped over, still half the child I knew from in Nibelheim, enveloping me in a big bear hug.

"You got me back to Tifa, like you promised at the Inn." He said in my ear "Thank you."

"It's what I do Cloud," I whispered back with a smile.

He must've been training with Zack again, I could tell by his strength as he hugged me. As soon as Cloud had spoken the hug had ended. I saw him smile all around us before scowling at Tifa.

"She isn't my wife yet, I haven't asked her." he told Tifa playfully only turning to me when he was finished so nobody else could see the rosy hue to his blush painted cheeks.

"Cloud! You can't have Tifa and Tia!" Zack shouted with his signature cocky grin. He knew we were the same person but still played around with Cloud and the others.

"Well, Zack he can't have me because I'm already married." I told him with a wink Cloud's way. He smirked back and beckoned Tifa over with his hand.

"Married? To who?" Barrett asked from beside Cloud. I giggled as I looked to him. He looked almost unsure about holding the child that I would soon adopt in his arm and gun.

"I'm married to the most handsome, kindest, shyest and sweetest man I ever met." I told Barrett glancing to Cloud. Barrett put Marlene down at this point to cross his arms over his large muscled chest. Marlene ran up to Cloud and Tifa and tugged on Cloud's leg asking him to pick her up. With a sweet smile of remembrance I turned to Barrett to see his eyebrow raised.

"Laying it on a little thick aren't you, Tia?" Zack said from his space just next to me. "I know this guy, he isn't anything like that."

I smiled at Zack. "He is in my eyes, you just don't know the real him." I told Zack with another smile

I looked around the rest of the room to see Zack smirking cockily with his arms folded as he looked at me with an eyebrow raised. Aerith stood trying to hide her small giggles behind her hand because she knew what I was talking about. Biggs, Jesse and Wedge just looked at me with blank faces not sure what to make of me yet. Cloud and Tifa were smiling at me warmly with little Marlene in their arms.

"I can show you a picture of him if you want." I told everyone glad I would get to pull out the beach photo again. I heard Cloud groan and whack his head on the counter which had somehow gotten into a head- smacking radius of Cloud within ten seconds.

"Tia, are you referring to the picture you showed us when we were five?" Tifa asked me. I watched as her lip twitched in amusement.

"Of course! It's the best picture I have of him! And he looks just like a model in the lucky shot!" I told him with a small concealed laugh. I asked over to Cloud and poked his stomach.

"Are you still toning up or is the picture correct yet?" I asked him with a smirk.

"Is that a challenge?" Cloud asked me carefully. I smiled turning hearing his mumble of: "why don't you ask Tifa, she knows." I choose to ignore the comment for both their sakes.

"Anyway, I know that Aerith and Tifa will like the picture," I said as I walked along with my phone in hand.

"You showed that picture to my mom!" Cloud half groaned half shouted.

"Heh, I did, didn't I?" I said with a smirk watching Tifa snicker behind her hand.

"Send it me now; you said you would when I got a PHS!" Tifa said bouncing over with her phone at the ready.

"Okay!" I said excitedly. Hearing confused mumbled about why Tifa wanted a picture of my husband.

"Yes! New phone wallpaper!" TIfa said as her phone dinged with the incoming picture.

"Do we get to see this photo?" Aerith asked quietly I saw Zack scowl at the thought of me showing around a picture of Cloud's shirtless body.

"Damn Tia, its better than I remembered!" Tifa exclaimed. I smiled and handed my phone to Aerith with a smile and a wink.

Aeirth looked at the phone, went wide eyed and passed it to Zack who looked and passed it on himself. This carried on until the whole room had seen the picture and all had different expressions.

"He looks like Cloud." Was Barret's immediate response.

"He's my Brother." Cloud told Barret with a smile at the insider information that a few of the people in the room knew about.

"What his name?" Barret asked suspiciously.

"Cole."

"Where does he live?"

"Klam, with my mother."

"Why haven't you mentioned him before?"

"He never came up in conversation."

"How old is he?"

"Twenty five." I added in. I knew that was the only piece of information Cloud didn't know about the fake 'Cole' we had made up. "But really Barret, why'd we need the Q and A?" I said with a smile.

Almost all at once a new Chaos started. The ground shook for a second as I felt a helicopter over our heads. "No… its too early..." I said running out into the street to see Reno headed towards the big pillar.

"Tia, whats wrong?" Cloud asked in alarm as he ran out after me. I just stared wide eyes at the helicopter before it landed. I let out a ragged gasp for breath as panic overtook me.

"Tifa!" he shouted at me shaking me to get my attention. I could only reply in a monotone voice:

"We have two hours to evacuate the whole sector before the Turks bring the plate down on us."


	10. The Day The Plate Fell P2

**This took AGES to write! Seriously I can't believe the extent of my Writers block! It's so annoying! **

**Anyway 1 chapter to go after this and then this is done. So here is the next chapter, probably has many grammar and spelling mistakes but I'm tired so what I've done so far tonight should be fine.**

I could see the panic as it spread over the faces of the group surrounding me. Each of them looked around to try and see my face which I'm sure held a blank expression as my mouth went dry.

"Aerith, try to get any children out of the sector, make sure Marlene is with your mother and take as many children with you as you can," I told the girl to my right. I didn't need to turn to know she would be nodding in acceptance of the idea. "Oh, and watch out for Tseng, don't let him capture you," I added before sending her off. I noticed Zack stood close to Tifa now while she and Cloud were wrapped in each other's arms.

"Zack, evacuate anybody you can. I want the rest of you to help him," I said I noticed everyone start to move and realized I couldn't fight Reno alone. "BUT," I added quickly causing everyone to stop and look at me. "I want Tifa, Cloud and Barrett to stay here with me. We have another job to do…" I told them with a sigh. I heard the pounding feet as the others took off in all directions after Aerith.

I turned to the ones that were left and pointed to the place the helicopter had landed. Each pair of eyes followed my finger with determination.

"We need to take out the detonation system!" I told them. I looked over their expressions; they ranged from determination to worry. I softened my own determined face to look at them with a pleading face.

"It won't be that hard, I promise," I said with a soft smile as I help out a hand hoping someone would take it to show me they would help. Barrett smiled at me and placed a hand on mine and as I looked to Cloud and Tifa I noticed they were smiling too before each added their own hands to the pile.

"For our happy future," Cloud announced causing me to break out into a large grin as I looked at him. We broke our hands apart but smiled at each other.

"It won't all be sunshine and roses, you know. You will have to leave when this is done, the whole of AVALANCHE and you will need to find and defeat Sephiroth before it's too late," I told them seriously as we started to walk. We didn't want to scare people and we now had time to tell people to leave while they had the chance just in case we couldn't stop the detonator.

"Sephiroth is dead," Cloud told me in a sour, cold voice. I was shocked he had said it. I turned to him to see a face of stone. "Vincent said he was killed by an overdose of some chemical in Hojo's lab," he added to show the information's legitimacy. I sighed and looked down, shaking my head.

"Sephiroth can't be beaten that easily…" I told him hesitantly. I saw all the faces scrunch in confusion. "And besides, JENOVA is the one you need to fight for now. Sephiroth is hidden in the northern crater meaning: you can't get to him, even if he was dead he would just be in the lifestream and the planet doesn't want him there so it will just… kinda…" I searched for the word but couldn't find it so I ended up just making gestures.

"Spit him out?" Barrett supplied for me. I nodded at him as we walked on in contemplative silence.

"Basically you will need to kill him away..." I told them looking back with a small sad smile. Everyone looked at me with unreadable sad expressions but I ignored them all and just looked up to the large plate pillar that stood tall and proud above the slums holding the many millions of people up on top of us.

"Okay, we need to get over there!" I shouted. I broke the silence barrier quickly and looked back to see if everyone was listening before I started running in the direction of the pillar. A shocked three people followed me quickly and as soon as we had climbed to the top we were greeted by the two Turks who were always seen together: Reno and Rude.

The two stood with cocky smirks and proud posture like they didn't have a thought to that they may lose.

"Hey, yo," Reno snickered as he bounced his weapon off his shoulder. Rude was poised with his fists ready to fight.

"Ah Reno and Rude. My least favourite ginger and the lovable mute," I teased I knew it was just going to rile them up but that was my goal, if I got them a little angry they wouldn't be thinking as properly as they should. I noticed all the others on my side seemed to send me glares.

"Oh? Think your tough… erm?" Reno made a gesture as if to ask who I was. It seemed we were having a civil conversation while waiting for the detonator to go off. I didn't have time for this…

"I'm Tia and I'm going to kick both your butts in 2 minutes flat," I told them sweetly as I pulled out my gloved and pulled them over my fingers.

"Oh really? Well I could use a bit of a workout," Reno joked as he got into fighting position. I let out a small noise of amusement before lunging forward to block his oncoming attack.

With a battle yell the Cloud and Tifa tried to fend off Rude while Barrett tried to punch in codes that could stop the detonator.

I punched at Reno's lower half while blocking his attacks and while he was off guard, I kicked him in the face. I heard a crunch as my shoe hit his nose and then a thud as he fell onto the floor.

"That wasn't even one minute," I told him as he attempted to get back up. I walked closer and pushed him down again and looked down at him while he looked up with a defeated look "Don't worry, you will get stronger, I just need to protect the ones I love, now…" I told him as I saw the other two finish off Rude until he fell on the floor.

"Guys… I have no idea of what codes to use!" Barrett called at us in a bit of a panic. We all turned in his direction and ran over. The mission had suddenly become 'press as many buttons as possible and hope it works!'

None of the codes worked, we just kept getting the same thing:

_Invalid code, please re-enter code _

_Invalid code, please re-enter code_

_Invalid code, please re-enter code _

_Invalid code, please re-enter code _

I let out a growl of frustration as I slapped down all the keys in my hands range. I pulled my hands through my hair in frustration and growled again before I was able to calm.

I felt a presence next to me and saw a face that I knew belonged to Angeal Hewley.

"_If this is Shinra's code then it will be 10-27-22-41. Those are that guy's __favourite__ numbers and the codes he always used for top secret projects,'_

I nodded in the direction of the voice and typed in the code I had heard. A green light blinked and stopped the countdown I could see flashing on the screen. 'Code accepted.' Flashed up before a whirring of the mechanisms started whirring down.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and all the tension seemed to disappear. The panic below continued but one by one each of us on the ledge of the pillar smiled and realized we had foiled the plans of Shinra.

To the side of me I saw Tifa and Cloud hug each other close and to my other side I saw Barrett punching his fist up into the air in delight at our success. I smiled slightly before I heard the blades of a helicopter as it drew near.

_Please don't have Aerith… _I thought as I took in a large gulp of air. Instead of seeing Tseng and Aerith I saw another person. A male with long black spiky hair was inside the helicopter with Tseng banging his fists of the sides.

"Zack!" Cloud called as he tried to run forward but I held him back with my hand.

"Tseng, let Zack go!" I shouted up angrily. He looked down on me with a confused glare, he noticed the bodies of Reno and Rude on the floor next to Barrett and grew angrier.

"Maybe we can swap," he said in a cold but thoughtful voice. I felt my glare soften as I signaled for Barrett to bring over Reno and Rude. I looked up at Tseng's face and imagined him from the future.

I hadn't seen him often throughout time so his face wasn't as familiar as other's to me. I knew he used to keep his long hair in a ponytail but now it just hung down on his shoulders and flapped in the wind made from the helicopter blades. I nodded to Tseng to show I accepted the trade and he soon turned the helicopter to park in an empty space a little way away from us.

We all ran down the stairs to the place with the limp bodies of Reno and Rude in tow. We knew Tseng would hand over Zack readily seeing as we had two of his team members with us.

When we got there we noticed Tseng who was standing with one hand clasped around Zack's arm while an angry Zack glared at him.

"Ah, you're here," he said to us before turning and looking at Reno and Rude as if they were burdens.

"Give us Zack first," was all the reply Tseng got before he let out a humorless noise like a chuckle and pushed the black haired man forward.

"Of course. He isn't much use to me anyway…" Tseng said as he pushed Zack towards us. Zack fell forward into us and we were shocked as Reno and Rude both sprung up –clearly not unconscious- and ran into the helicopter.

"We shall meet again, mark my words," Tseng threatened as he got into the Helicopter with a wave of his arm. "And next time, we shall take the Cetra and the SOLDIER!" he added as the engines whirred and took the Turks away. As soon as they were out of sight I turned to Zack.

"You okay, buddy?" I asked as I helped him to his feet.

"Fine…" he mumbled back gruffly. I knew he would most likely feel a little weak for being captured but he hid it well as he perked right up as soon as he turned around to the rest of the group.

"So! Let's go back to the bar and work out a new plan of action!" he said with a smile. I was glad Zack had turned back to normal so quickly but I was still a little worried about everything that was happening here.

The rest of my time in this day was spent working on panic control and finding all the members of our team. We also talked about the future and what was going to happen as far as their quest was concerned. Cloud and Tifa spent the whole time cuddled up to each other and I just smiled at them happily knowing that could be the future me that I could be.

They all decided they would leave on a quest immediately to find the Black and White Materia's and then go on their quest to stop Sephiroth and Jenova. With Hojo already gone they had a bit less to do than we did and a bit of an easier ride with Hojo not there to help Serphiroth anymore.

At the time when I left I was talking to Cloud about his mother and my father. He said they were doing fine and that they had settled in fine in the time they had been there so that all the locals accepted them fully. There were no Shinra in Kalm so when Cloud needed a place to get away from it all he and Tifa went to Kalm for a few days. To me it sounded like a perfect reality.

I remember seeing Angeal for the last time before being pulled into my new reality that I could either choose or reject….


	11. Waking Up To The New Norm

**I can't express how sorry I am for how long it took me to write this chapter! Really really sorry! I hope to have the next one up soon too so that I can finish his once and for all!**

Waking up to the new norm,

**This chapter is gonna get a bit weird so I'll just say that because there are so many things that could change in between the time of Tifa's reality and the time she left that there were many different realities and she is flicking between some of them, every time she seems to reject a reality then she moves onto the next one. There are 5 in total.**

"Tifa," a voice whispered in my ear. I felt comfy where I was so I turned over with a light whine of protest as the person shook me. "Tifa! Wake up!" the voice was more panicked this time and I could hear that it was the voice of a child, a little girl.

Marlene.

I woke up with a start when I realised this would be my new reality if I chose it. The first thing that put me off it was the landscape when I opened my eyes.

Just as I had expected, Marlene was in my line of vision wearing a half worried and half scared look on her face. She was looking behind me and when I looked around I realised we were in the middle of a large spacious cave. The walls were a sandy brown and out the entrance I could see blue skies and green trees.

"Tifa… help," Marlene cried again as she stepped away towards the mouth of the cave. I looked behind me to see a large shadow looming in the darkness. "He found us," she whispered in a frightened voice. I could hear pain in her voice and as I looked up I noticed the outline before more distinct as it came closer to the light.

"Hello, Tifa," a smooth voice said smoothly. The voice was so familiar to me that I froze unable to move an inch as I thought of the reasons behind Marlene's fear of this person. I remembered the times that Marlene had been near this person and how she had trusted him; now she cowered behind me as he drew closer, his spiked hair swaying in the hardly existent breeze of the cave

Out of the shadows now, Cloud stepped into the sun. Cloud stood with shocking green cat-eyes like Sephiroth's and a smirk that looked evil despite the pleasant curve of his lips.

He had been taken over by the spirit he tried to fight.

"Cloud… don't hurt us," Marlene whimpered as she moved backwards again so she was behind me.

"C-Cloud," I looked at him and moved back as he moved closer towards me.

"Tifa, Tifa, Tifa,"he said with a sigh as he took his sword from off his back. "I thought you would've remembered…" a flash of light obscured my vision so instead of Cloud I could see long white hair that matched the eyes and an evil smirk that haunted my nightmares. I was shocked which allowed Cloud time to move even closer so that he could hold a hand in my hair. I screamed out and struggled as I tried to get out of his grasp.

"After the looks on those poor idiot's faces as I killed them, I'm pretty sure you were broken,"when I looked into Cloud's eyes and saw the past flashing through.

I wasn't there to bring him back, I wasn't there to keep him sane, he gave into Sephritoth before they even got to the black Materia. I could see the me in this reality telling Cloud that Sephiroth had threatened our parents and that I was going back to make sure that they were safe and would meet them in a few days. I took the Chocobo that was with us at the time and had rode off. I hadn't known that they would be ambushed by Sephiroth and that as soon as I was a mile away the others all rushed to follow me.

We had all gotten to Kalm and hidden. Denzel's parents had been there too with their little boy when the town was ambushed and they were both killed so Denzel was left in our care again. We had hidden out for a while before we were attacked again but not by Sephiroth…

One last image flashed through my eyes. The lifeless bodies of Aerith, Zack, Barrett and even the lifeless body of Denzel lay slaughtered on the floor with single vicious cuts across their necks and blood covering the while front of their bodies and pooled on the floor around them. Next to the bodies were 2 men. Cloud and Sephiroth stood grinning at me as I held Marlene before I turned on tail and ran. Back in reality, my breath hitched in my throat. I heard Marlene scream behind me which snapped me back to reality.

"NO!" I screamed and almost immediately the whole scene turned an eerie white in colour.

I covered my eyes quickly to shield them from the light before the light faded completely. When I opened my eyes I saw a pair of deep blue eyes staring back at me. I didn't move, I just looked into the eyes for a minute.

"You awake, Teef?" Cloud's voice asked me. I smiled as I looked at him. This version of Cloud wasn't possessed at all. He was himself without even a hint of Mako in his eyes. I felt my smile grow as I nodded at Cloud. He was too close for me to see his whole body but I could see the hair that was falling in his face so I knew he was still my Cloud.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out or something. The bar doesn't open for a little while and Marlene is with her dad for the month, so maybe we could go catch a movie?" Cloud moved away now and I noticed a long scar moving diagonally down his arm. There was an identical one running across the side of his leg (which I was surprised I could see.) Cloud was wearing only a pair of shorts which was very un-Cloud-like but at least he looked slightly happier than he seemed in my world.

"Is Denzel with them?" I asked on impulse as I spoke but saw the confusion in Clouds eyes at the mention of the boy we cared for.

"Who's Denzel?" he asked as he slipped a shirt over his head it was just a plain shirt that went with the black shorts.

"You know… we took him in when the plate fell and he lived with us when he had Geostigma and-" I stopped when I noticed the pure look of confusion and worry on Cloud's face.

"Teef, are you okay? I've never heard of Denzel before. And what's Geostigma?" Cloud came over and placed his hand over my forehead to test my temperature. "You aren't running a fever, what's wrong?" he asked again. I looked at Cloud calmly before running a hand down the scarred arm.

"How did you get this?" I asked quietly as I tried to keep my head clear. Cloud's smile dropped as he looked down.

"Don't you remember Teef? You were there," he mumbled. Suddenly the memories from this world filled my head. I could see Zack as his eyes changed to the same green cat slit eyes of Sephiroth. I watch in my mind's eye as Zack sliced towards Aerith who is sitting in the same place as she was when Cloud had killed her years ago.

From my memories I could tell that Zack, who had much more Mako in his blood, was the one who had been taken over by Sephiroth and the one who had killed Aerith in the end he had also tried to get at Cloud to kill him.

'_Stupid boy like you could never be in SOLDIER'_

'_You would've never made it'_

'_Too weak, too small'_

'_Can't even save your friends and family'_

I watched in my mind as Cloud cried and refused to kill Zack as he came closer. He couldn't hurt Zack, his best friend…so Zack landed two hits of Cloud before Sephiroth came down with a smug smirk and killed Zack himself_. 'Sorry… Cloudy…'_were Zack's last words as the green receded to his normal colour. I remembered Barrett carrying Cloud out because he had passed out when he realised that his two best friends were both dead.

'I promise to avenge him,' Cloud had said as he stuck Zack's sword into the ground and tied Aerith's fallen pink ribbon around it. I remember that we took the buster sword the next day, but Cloud would never use it. He seemed to be working on autopilot all the way to the end when we killed Sephiroth for the last time.

I felt Cloud's hand on mine as I looked into his eyes. He looked sad all the way through his eyes.

"Cloud… do you blame yourself? For Zack…and Aerith?" I asked as I took his hand up in between two of mine. Cloud looked at me for a second before running his other hand over my cheek before it rested there with his thumb gently stroking the skin there.

"I do… I always will regret how weak I was. But I guess… I realised that I needed to move on and just try to live every day the way they would want me to." Cloud was still looking into my eyes as he said this. I nodded at his before looking down again at his leg as his thumb still worked its way over my cheek. Cloud took his hand out of mine and pulled my head forward with it to kiss me on the top of the head and envelope me into a hug.

I evaluated this world in my head. Cloud wasn't as sad and quiet as he would've been over just Aerith's death. I know it was horrible to think, but I think it was because he wasn't the one to lose control this time. He had no Mako in his system and had never had Geostigma either. But then, we didn't have Denzel and Zack and Aerith were gone still… _maybe I'll come back here if I don't have a better choice_… I think to myself as the room around us goes white as I'm transported to another reality.

The next place I woke up, I noticed my clothes were different. A bandage had wound its way up my one arm all the way to my neck while my shirt was ripped and blood stained. I was wearing the old skirt I had worn on our missions when we fought Sephiroth. My hair was cut short, shorter than I had ever had it before so that it didn't even reach my ears.

"Tifa, you up girl?" I heard Barrett call. When I looked up I noticed we were in a small hut in the middle of what seemed like a battlefield. The sky was red and black and Barrett was crouched, looking into a hole with a gun pointed down through it.

I got up quickly to look through the hole. "What's going on?" I ask as I look forward through the hole where I can see Shinra men running around outside.

"Stupid bitches woke up early, tha's what. Now I ain't got enough ammo for a day," Barrett growled as he gunned down one of the men who came to close to us.

"TAKE THAT YOU MOTHER F-"

"Barrett, where are we?" I interrupted stalling him enough for him to look at me.

"You hit your head or something? We're just outside Midgar. We were all waging an attack against Sephiroth's men tonight. I'm going to get Marlene's body back… for a proper burial. No matter what that sick freak of a scientist did to her," I saw anger and hurt in Barrett's eyes as I remembered Marlene being dragged away by a man with spiked white hair who had a cackle like the dead scientist Hojo.

"But… Vincent said Sephiroth was dead!" I exclaimed loudly. Barrett shushed me before ducking both out heads as a bullet came through the hole.

"Keep up Teef! He was wrong! Then Vincent and Cloud… they both died of Geostigma. Remember?" Barrett seemed almost angry that I didn't remember anything but it wasn't my fault. Barrett let out a ragged sigh. It sounded like something that would come from a man who had waged a war against the world on his own.

"And in case you forgot this part too; Marlene and Denzel were taken for experiments and Zack has been missing for a good year now," he told me. I felt my eyes widen as I realised the fate of everyone.

Meteor could be summoned because nobody had been there to protect Aerith. Zack, Cloud, Vincent and the kids were gone, most likely dead. The rest of our group was here in this rebel group who were all going to die because they didn't stand a chance.

_I don't want this._ I thought to myself. I hoped the white light would engulf me. But it didn't. I had to watch as Barrett uttered a curse before he was shot. He fell backwards so that I could see his whole front. He had been shot through the left eye. Blood oozed out of the socket and a pool formed at the back of his head where the bullet had made its way through his brain and skull too before embedding itself in the mud wall behind us. His other eye and mouth gaped open as his blank face stared up at me. The look almost said to me '_you did this'_

I screamed and just as the door was kicked open for me to be shot too, the light I had been waiting for engulfed me and took me away from the horror.

When I woke up again I didn't know where I was. The room was all white and the only places colour was visible was the bouquet of pink roses on the table near to the bed.

I quickly pulled the covers back and stood before quickly making my way to the door at the other end of the room. Before I could reach the door a figure made his way in.

"Woah Teef, slow down," Cloud said as he grabbed me around the waist as I suddenly slipped in surprise.

"Cloud? Where am I?" I asked in confusion. Cloud looked a little confused too.

"Um.. The hospital? He said while scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, the baby's fine. Marlene and Denzel are in the nursery… thing… holding her," he said.

When he mentioned the baby I started to remember the world's history. We had defeated Sephiroth and Zack had survived but Aerith had been killed by a possessed Zack. It seemed the tables had turned from that point. Zack was the one disappointed in himself while Cloud was the one telling him that he needed to let it go. Zack eventually went off on his own after Sephiroth was gone. We hadn't seen him since. Cloud was upset about that, but tried not to show it often.

I can't remember how we got Denzel but I remembered that we were looking after Marlene while her dad was out rebuilding their old town. It seemed like everyone had gone home and even Vincent had gone somewhere.

I noticed Cloud was wearing his usual clothes and more importantly his one sleeve again. I was curious as to why he had it.

"we need to talk about something Tifa," Cloud told me. He didn't get too close to me and I noticed a magazine poised on the edge of a table the front cover was of a couple with the title 'Geostigma!' but nothing else. A feeling of dread set itself into my stomach as I looked over to the sleeve Cloud was wearing.

"Why do you wear that sleeve?" I asked slowly cloud looked at his arm and winced. Something I knew he used to do back when he had Geostigma.

"Teef lets not-"

"Do you have the stigma?" I cut him off. He looked at me for a second before looking down.

"It doesn't matter," was his mumbled reply. I looked at him with wide eyes.

"Doesn't matter?" I ask. I knew there was something more to what he was trying to tell me but there was something he didn't want to tell me.

"I… I'm going away for a little while. I want to go and see if I can find Zack," he said as he scratched the back of his head in a nervous way. I sighed tiredly and rubbed my eyes.

"How long?"

"I don't know… a long time,"

Then the world when white again.

The next world was completely different. Everything had been taken over by the planet so the whole of the world was green and growing. From what I could tell I was on the outskirts of Edge and all alone.

"Hello?" I called out only to be greeted by Yuffie climbing down from the top of a building by using vines as foot holes.

"What're you doing down here Teef! Aerith said she got the lead you wanted!" I blinked as the lovable ninja cartwheeled across the floor and back up the vines into the gap I could see in the building above us. I started to climb up the vines carefully but noticed how sturdy they were straight away. I climbed quickly until I was in a large room filled with light that seemed to originate from Aerith and something she was holding tightly between two hands.

Around the room I could see Reeve, Cait, Barret, Marlene, Vincent, Shelke, Cid, Shera, Yuffie and even Nanaki and what seemed like his mate and a small baby. I was puzzled for a second because I was sure that everyone kept saying he was the last of his kind. _I guess they were wrong_, I concluded in my head.

Aerith looked almost the same as how I remember her. Her hair was shorter but still reached her mid-back. She still had her pink bow but her cloths were different. She was wearing a flowing pink silk shirt with a small white cardigan along with a pair of long tight denim jeans. I had a feeling that she didn't leave this room much from the way her feet were bare. She was knelt over a small bowl of light green energy which seemed to move in the bowl but never flow out of it.

I watched in awe as the liquid energy in the bowl seemed to quiver before it turned into a sort of mirror which was showing us places. I saw Cosmo Canyon, the Golden Saucer and even Corel and Klam. Gongaga flashed up once for a few seconds while Nibelheim was just a flash of a second.

"I can feel their energy," Aerith aid. She had her eyes screwed closed and thy seemed to close more tightly as her hands squeezed whatever she was holding and her head bowed slightly. "They're together," she announced much to most of the people in the room's relief.

I remembered how we had defeated Sephiroth and Deepground erupted sooner than it did in my original world. They had been defeated quickly, but a man named 'G' swooped down at the last minute. Zack chased him and Cloud followed. We hadn't seen them since. Depground and destroyed Edge beyond repair so most of the people who used to live here moved to Kalm or found work at the expanding Chocobo farm.

That had to be around five years ago in this world so the planet decided to take Edge back for itself. Vines and trees grew but the old members of AVALANCHE decided to stay here for a little while as we searched for the missing Cloud and Zack. Only recently did we find Aerith, she had been missing since Deepground because she went off to the ruins of the forgotten city to pray.

She had come back with the bowl of liquid she had in front of her now.

Speaking of the liquid, it was now flickering with light as the faces of Cloud and Zack became visible. They were sitting close huddled behind a rock as someone was firing at them. Cloud squeezed his eyes shut as a lucky hit scraped past his arm. Zack pulled his arm towards him and hit it with a cure before Cloud roughly pulled his arm back.

"_My friend, the fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honour remains. The arrow has left the bow of the goddess," _we heard the enemy call over the sound of his hits.

Zack let out a noise as a shot went past his face but otherwise didn't do much. "Cloud, we gotta move!" he said as he grabbed his friend's arm. Cloud nodded and grabbed hold of the arm that was holding onto him in response. The two sprinted in the direction of a deep forest.

Zack turned and started to deflect the magic G threw at them with his Buster Sword. They made it into the forest puffing and wheezing.

"I still don't get it… I thought I killed him a long time ago," Zack said as he kicked a pebble away from himself angrily. Cloud just looked at him. "He was Angeal's friend; they used to play fight with Sephiroth in the VR rooms in SOLDIER. Back when Genesis was the original problem," Zack said. "If Angeal were here he would-" he froze as he mentioned what Angeal would do.

"Don't worry about it Zack, I'm sure Angeal and Sephiroth are fighting in the lifestream an waiting for Genesis as we speak," Cloud said without looking up. He was cleaning blood off his arm from the magic that had hit him but he was otherwise uninjured.

"Come on, we'll rest for tonight, it's getting dark and I'm getting hungry," Zack said as he started to walk in a different direction to the one they had come from.

The image of the two flickered and eventually dispersed as Aerith opened her eyes again and looked up apologetically.

"I don't know where they were, but they were somewhere to the west of us," she announced with a sigh.

Barret walked over to her and put a hand of the flower girl's shoulder. "We can find them another day," he said as everyone started to look a little downtrodden. Vincent sat in the corner unmoving while everyone seemed to wonder around the room we were n like a meeting was over; in a way it was.

I sighed as I sat down against the wall. I blinked slowly as I fell asleep there.

_That was all the worlds… _a voice said. I couldn't make out who it was but it was a comforting voice it was obvious that the speaker was a male but right now I felt so tired I wouldn't be able to distinguish this man from Hojo. _Which one will you choose?_

_I want to go home… _my head whispered before I fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up would be in my chosen reality.

**Sorry for any mistakes in spelling and stuff... I'm using a school computer and the keys are not the best…**


	12. My World

**The first of two possible endings!**

_My world_

When I woke up I was still lying on my bed. Light poured in through the open window while the curtains fluttered in the light breeze of the morning air.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Cloud said as he walked up into our room. I smiled at him as I noticed it was _my_ Cloud, the one who was quiet and withdrawn but at the same time he cared. I didn't really mind that he looked a little down as I got up and ran over to hug him. He seemed surprised at first but he hugged me back with a small soft smile after he got his bearings on the situation.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked as I pulled away and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. Cloud looked up at the sky -or ceiling, I guess- for a minute in thought.

"Three days? Give or take," he said "Marlene was worried and Denzel wanted to call an ambulance when he saw you had been asleep for three days," I smiled happily at the thought of the children being so worried while I wondered what Cloud had been like. I expected some kind of panic from a man with no expirence with children who suddenly had to singlehandedly take care of two. I rocked back and forth on my heels for a second with my hands clasped behind my back.

"I'm fine now… I'm just sorry I missed Zack's death anniversary… I didn't mean to," I couldn't see any emotion in Cloud's face but I knew he wouldn't really be that mad at me. In the end he made a small shrugging motion.

"S'fine Tifa. Nothing really happened. It rained too much for us to go out and when you didn't wake up the kids didn't want to leave your side," he explained. I smiled at the thought of Cloud being at the mercy of the two kids. Two kids that were clever and while they didn't know my bank details or where I hid the money, they knew Cloud had money for food 'and necessities'

"Did they take you shopping?" I asked suspiciously as I remembered what happened last time I had gotten ill. Cloud nodded "did they tell you ice cream would wake me up?" another nod "did they eat all the ice cream and get super hyper?" yet another nod. I sighed. "It a good thing you don't take them shopping all the time, or we would have no money and two fat children," I said with a small giggle. Cloud gave me a small smile.

"They spent almost two hundred gil on treats," he told me. I could hear the two running around downstairs. This was how I knew Cloud was telling the truth.

"Just think: eight o'clock tonight they're both going to crash so we can run the bar in peace," I said. Cloud smiled again before he moved over to hug me.

"I'm glad you're back, Teef," he said I let out another small laugh as I hugged him back.

_Hi, Zack, I'm sorry I couldn't save you well enough in the end. I guess in truth the lifestream needed you, but you have Aerith, don't you?_

_Say hi to her for us._

_Cloud's fine. He's being as emotional as a teaspoon as always but he misses you guys lots. Tell Angeal I said hi as well!_

_I know I chose my original version of the world, but there wasn't much else I wanted from life and I guess that is evident. I wanted to make you alive and I wanted Aerith alive but that didn't always turn out for the best. You have the urge to fight as always but a peaceful world wouldn't need fighters. That and, we all knew the Mako in your blood could cause us more problems than it solved._

_Anyway, in short, I guess I just wanted to say thank you for the opportunity and that I'm sorry I wasted it. _

_See you in the lifestream!_

_Love Tifa._

I wedged the note I had written under the rock next to the buster sword. I hoped Zack would read it. At the same time Cloud lay down a few flowers from Zack's hometown and tied a blue ribbon next to the seven other blue ribbons he had started tying once a year around four years ago.

After he did that he stepped back to admire the memorial.

"I'm trying to keep my promise," was all he said before he took my hand. We stared for a minute before Cloud looked over to signal it was time to go. I nodded as we turned and walked out of the ruined church.

Neither of us looked back at the place where the sword was, but I was sure I could feel a presence as we walked away. I smiled as I felt Cloud's hand in mine tighten as we made our way to the bike that was going to take us back to the bar we both lived at.

**Ahhh I love my keyboard. So much better than the school ones. 3**


	13. My New World

**The last chapter of this story! I hope you enjoyed reading it. Sorry for the giant massive break I had near the end of writing this, but at least I got it finished like I said I would! **

My new world

I opened my eyes slowly and found myself in the overgrown forest of my new world. Vines climbed up the buildings with sprouting leaves of the purest green that Midgar an Edge had ever seen. Some of the buildings around me had already started to crumble from the force of nature while others, like our building, had been reinforced with all sorts of materials so that the buildings would stay stable. I could tell that we were not the only people who had decided to stay in the overgrown Edge. from the hoards of people who were all walking in the direction of the exit to Kalm.

"Hey Tifa!" Yuffie's voice called out to me. I looked to see her and Aerith carrying baskets of fruits and vegetables. Barret had gone to Kalm as he did once a week for the farmers market there so that he could buy meat, fish and dairy products that we would eat in the week.

In my memory I remembered Yuffie suggesting we just buy a cow and then use its milk to make cheese and butter but Aerith told her that it wasn't a good idea. The ninja wasn't even phased that her idea had been rejected; she just shrugged and skipped away happily.

Even though I had just chosen this world I had felt like I had been here forever. I remembered all the times Aerith tried to make contact with Zack and Cloud. I remembered making potions with Shera as an experiment while Barret was shining his arm and Vincent was out looking for any danger to rectify. I remembered being there when Nanaki's cubs were born. They were very small, almost a quarter of the size of their parents. Nanaki told us that they would be babies for a long time and it would be even longer until they reached maturity, which really explained why they were so tiny. He reminded us that he wasn't old in his opinion and that according to his grandfather he was still a teenager as far as his species went.

"Tiiiifffffaaaaa!" Yuffie called as she shook her hand in front of my face. I must've spaced out when I was thinking.

"Hey Yuffie, Hey Aerith, do you want me to climb up and throw the rope down?" I asked with a smile. The two returned the smile and nodded- very enthusiastically in Yuffie's case. I quickly did as I was asked and waited while the two large fruit baskets were ready to be lifted. Later I would need to pull the meat and other stuff Barret got from the market up into our building but for now we all had free time. I heard Yuffie climb up slowly only signalling that Aerith was climbing up first. When they arrived, Aerith decided she as going to try and contact the boys again.

I always sat with Aerith when she tried to reach the boys and nothing ever happened, but today seemed to be different. Aerith was trying the new technique of talking out loud in hopes that it would help her to be able to project her voice into their heads.

Today, she managed to get the image of the two a lot easier and a lot faster. They were sitting in a tree eating purple apples and talking about their next move when we saw them. Cloud looked at the apple for a long time before he ate it. He informed Zack that his apple was purple and Zack just nodded at him as he took a bite.

"Dumbapples," Zack said as he took another bite. the way he said it made it seem like an explination; One that Cloud clearly didn't get.

"To you too," Cloud grumbled back. Zack let out a laugh as he shoved the apple in Cloud's hand up to his face.

"This is a dumbapple. Eat it, it's good," Zack then went back to eating his apple while Cloud just stared. Eventually he shrugged and started eating his apple too.

"I'm going to try and make contact," Aerith told me softly. Her hands were clasped together under her chin as always as she hummed to herself for a second.

"…Cloud…?" she asked hesitantly. "Zack?" she asked afterwards. The two people on the screens heads shot up.

"Aerith?" Zack asked

"You can hear me! I'm so glad," Aerith said with a smile. She looked up at me and motioned for me to come closer almost as if they would be able to hear me if I was near to her.

"Aerith! It is you!" Zack called happily up into the trees before Cloud told him to shush. Aerith giggled at the pair and her smile widened.

"I'm in your head Zack, I called to you through the lifestream," the girl said as she went back to closing her eyes.

"Still, it's better than nothing. How are you? Is everyone okay?" Zack asked. Cloud seemed to have no interest as he went back to eating his apple calmly.

"Everyone is fine. We're living in an overgrown part of Edge together. Only Tifa is here right now, everyone else is out doing their own thing," at the mention of my name Cloud shot up.

"Tifa? He asked to no one in particular I giggled at his reaction before responding with a simple 'Hi Cloud,'

The conversation between us and the boys lasted about an hour. Both of them were talking which was a good sign. Zack told us that they were just off from Gongaga and that they were halfway there from Cosmo Canyon. When we asked why he couldn't come home he told us the story of SOLDIER first class Genesis Rhapsodos and how the man who had been a friend to all the firsts had turned into a monster as he started to degrade. I could almost hear in Zack's voice that this man used to be his friend and I don't think he was enjoying having to fight him.

Cloud spoke about how he missed me and how he should be back soon. He smiled for a second before he went back to looking out into the trees. I could tell he was a little tense.

"Do you want help with the fight so you can come home sooner?" Aerith asked. She looked at me with hope in her eyes and I hope I did the same.

"No…" Zack said with hesitation. He looked over to Cloud before he continued. "If we aren't home in a year then you can come and help us," Zack added as he looked through the thick trees ahead of him.

"But for now we have to go!" Cloud hissed as he jumped down from his spot just as a fire ball swept past.

"Woah!" Zack shouted before he jumped down to fight too. Our connection to the two was lost when Aerith became startled by the fire ball.

I turned to her as soon as she opened her eyes and we both just looked at each other for a minute. "So… what do we do?" I asked. Aerith looked at me and shrugged a little.

"I think we should give them half a year and then step in. we can look for them once a day via my connections but we don't always have to make contact," Aerith told me. I nodded.

"How about we look for them once a day and make connection once a week?" I asked earning a nod from Aerith. It would be a long time to wait but the two of us would be content to wait that long.

^.^

Time passed slowly but eventually the end of the six months did arrive. Cloud and Zack had weakened quite a bit but so had Genesis. We had sent Vincent and Barret out to help them and bring them back while we sat here. I was glad they were coming home and I could tell the others were happy too- even Yuffie who was trying to hide it by being pouty about everything. It was mostly because she wasn't allowed to go on the mission with the boys to retrieve the two SOLDIERs.

Within a month they were back and we had a party to celebrate.

At the end of the party, Cloud, Zack, Aerith and I all went to the church that Aerith loved just to look around. The flower girl's church was destroyed and the flowers had been replaced by a pool of water but Aerith didn't seem to mind. She told us that the planet must've done it and that some changes can be good.

It's been a long time now and I can gladly say I'm happy that I changed my whole reality. Sometimes it can be hard when I remember little things from my old life that I miss –like Denzel who also lived in Edge's ruins with his parents. I wasn't happy he didn't remember me, but he and Marlene often played together or with another girl and her brother who was always carrying a moogle doll.

Everything turned out fine for me in the end, and I'm so glad it did…

**The end! God this took forever….**


End file.
